The Road to Follow
by Annejackdanny
Summary: Continum AU, Jack/Daniel, Stranded in the AU Ba'al created, Daniel finds himself recruited back to the SGC by Gen Jack O'Neill - will they overcome their trust issues & find a way to work together? It's a long road for both men until a new bond of friendship & maybe more can be built. And then SG-1 is finally re-united to fix the timeline... but Ba'al is prepared on all levels.
1. Beginnings

**The Road to Follow**

**I**

**Beginnings**

The steaks had been good, the beer Irish, the fries crisp and the coffee they were served a moment ago hot and strong.

It's almost like at O'Malley's, Daniel thought, wondering if there was an O'Malley's in Colorado Springs in this timeline.

But this wasn't the Springs. This was Washington DC and the diner was called something else. Something not Irish. Daniel shrugged it off, not caring one way or the other.

There were many things he didn't care about these days.

There was his new name for starters. The one they'd given him when he was released into his new life. Michael Christopher. Mr. Christopher, librarian, that's who he was now. He worked, he ate, he slept, he went to doctor's appointments, orthopedics, PT... He took care of himself. But he didn't care.

There was a part of him on guard though. A part not feeling as numb as the rest of him. He waited. Waited for the right time, the opportunity. But more than a year had gone by and the opportunity, the right time, never came. So the "on guard" part had slowly fallen into the same lethargic slumber as the rest of him.

Until the phone call... the one call he'd never expected anymore.

And here he was now.

His leg was throbbing, or what was left of it anyway, and he looked forward to his hotel room where he could remove the prosthesis. It had been a long journey from NY to DC.

Daniel was tired.

The man he had dinner with picked at his napkin, tore tiny bits of it, then put it down and reached for his beer.

Familiar.

"Look, Doctor Jackson..."

Strange. But at least he was calling him by his real name.

"Daniel," he offered tightly, not sure he really wanted this stranger to call him Daniel. But hearing "Doctor Jackson" from the mouth of this man was ... weird.

"... General Landry believed you. Heck, I believe you after reading those reports. But I can't do squat for you. It's outta my hands. Sorry."

"We need you," Daniel demanded. But he couldn't keep up the glare or the urgent edge to his voice he usually reserved for Jack when he had to convince him to cooperate. Only for his Jack, he reminded himself. And the painful stab at the memory of his Jack felt good in a weird way because it reminded him he was still alive after all.

"So you keep saying. What I don't get is; why? Why me? It's not like I can barge in on the Joint Chiefs and order them to let you do your hocus pocus with the timeline. Even if I wanted to. Which I don't. I'm having a very nice life, thank you very much."

"You have the..."

"...Thingamajig Gene, yep, I got that much. You keep saying that, too, a lot."

"Ancient Gene," Daniel automatically corrected, the ghost of a smile passing his face. "And if you'd listened to me for the last hour, you'd know what it is and why we can't pull this off without your help."

"I listened. Still sounds wacko to me." He cocked his head, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "Have you listened to yourself?"

"I know how all this sounds." Daniel leaned forward into the colonel's personal space, catching a whiff of aftershave, leather and soap. He resisted the urge to close his eyes and take a deep breath. So achingly familiar. "But you just said it yourself. You believe us now. You read the reports. And you still don't want to help us?"

"Nope." Brown eyes stared right back at him. Bottomless but unyielding.

"Why not?"

O'Neill leaned back in his seat, waving his hand around the room full of guests. "Take a look. How many people you think are in here? Twenty? Fifty? How many people are out there, at home, on the streets... having families, jobs, lives. What gives you the right to take all of that away from them? What makes you think your timeline ... universe... whatever... was so much better than this?"

Oh, here we go... "General Landry called us arrogant," Daniel admitted, biting his lower lip.

"Damn straight."

They sat in silence, nursing their coffee.

"Ba'al will come. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But he will come."

"And then, what?"

"Death," Daniel spat. "Slavery. More... death. You know. We went over this at the interrogations countless times. You read the reports." He let his own arm wave through the diner. "And then, all of this goes to hell."

He felt like a broken record. He had said all of this nearly a year ago. To the guys who interrogated him, to Landry ...

Why did he even bother?

Why was he even here?

"What kind of a name is that anyway. Ba'al ... as in Boccie?" O'Neill picked apart his napkin some more.

"Yeah. Boccie," Daniel murmured.

So much alike.

"I never had a thing for Science Fiction," O'Neill drawled.

"I know."

"Hey... stop that."

"Sorry."

O'Neill took another sip of his coffee. "They won't let you use the gate, period. Me being on your page won't make a difference. Landry stays out of it. He bailed you out and he considers his duty done."

It took Daniel a few seconds to catch up on what O'Neill just said. But when it hit him, a faint echo of hope surged through him. "You found the gate?"

"The one in Antarctica you were talking about." The colonel's voice dropped to a low mutter. "And we SO shouldn't have this conversation here."

"There's no place we should have this conversation, so I guess any place is as good as...any." Daniel glanced at the other tables, but nobody paid attention. The music was loud, the conversations around them a background chatter along with the clicking of pool balls. Keeping his voice as low as O'Neill's he continued, "I assume you're working on the program."

"I'll be assigned to an outpost close to McMurdo at one point if that's what you mean. Once they finished building the base around that thing."

Daniel almost smirked. The government didn't even bother to let them know they found the Antarctica gate. SG1 could help them in so many ways. But of course that wasn't going to happen. He shook his head and stared into his empty beer glass.

Then again...

"Is that why you called me? Because you need our help opening the gate?"

Another twitch in O'Neill's jaw, eyes narrowing. "We have the best geeks from all over the country."

"Get your own Doctor Jackson there at least. He'll open the gate for you," Daniel said, surprised and a little ashamed about how satisfying the feeling of arrogance was. "If you don't trust us - he's the one you need."

The colonel didn't move now, no twitching, no blinking. Face blank he looked at Daniel, eyes giving nothing away.

And yet it was enough body language to let him know something was up.

Daniel knew this man better than any other person on the planet.

Well, not this man. But close.

"You already contacted him, didn't you? That's great. That's actually... yeah, it's great. Tell him about us. Make him listen. And then help us... Help us contact one of our allies and find that time machine Ba'al built... or at least help us to find a way to make Earth defendable."

Totally ignoring his words, O'Neill said, "Bottom line is, whatever plans you had, it ain't gonna work. You're stuck here. This is your time and your place now."

"You know about the ancient outpost in Antarctica. If we're not allowed to fix the timeline, at least try to find it. We gave you the coordinates. We need a ZPM first and we're gonna find that on Proclarush Taonas. That's where we need you. It's a power source and you're the only one who can retrieve it..."

"Because of the thingamajig..."

"...gene, yes," Daniel hissed. Why the inappropriate O'Neill sarcasm still annoyed him, after all these years, was beyond him. He should know better. He shouldn't expect anything less. Or anything more. Yet, here he was, still irritated by those raised eyebrows and the thin smile curling small lips.

"It's no science fiction," he added for good measure. "Get that into your thick skull. And if you've seen the gate you already know that."

"Haven't seen anything yet. Still waiting for my transfer papers. All I know is what you guys told me, then I read a bunch of weird reports from your interrogation. And had some vague briefings."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes and not really knowing why he resisted that urge, Daniel said, "But you know it's real."

He didn't get an answer on that one, just another raised eyebrow.

The waiter approached their table, asking if they wanted anything else. O'Neill shook his head and the man turned on his heel to bring the bill.

Daniel felt cold in the pit of his stomach. Five minutes from now they'd walk out of here... nothing solved, nothing settled. Both going their respective ways, not looking back, last chance lost.

"So, why?" He pinned the other man with his glare, mobilizing all his willpower to fight the tiredness and the mixed feeling of dread and resignation. "When I contacted you two months ago, you hung up on me. Then, three days ago you suddenly called. Why?"

There had to be a reason other than to stomp on the last bit of hope Daniel had, to ever go home, to ever fix this timeline disaster.

O'Neill rubbed a hand over his face, suddenly looking tired himself. "This was a very bad idea." The waiter placed the bill on the table and O'Neill pulled it over before Daniel could reach for it. "My treat."

Daniel watched the exchange of credit card and, when the waiter was gone, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat. "Thanks. Even though it's still an expensive dinner for a guy who works at a library. What with the flight and rental car..."

"You want me to pay for that, too? Fine," O'Neill snapped. "Send me the bill."

"...and hotel room. Little decadent, don't you think? And this isn't even a date."

The coffee mug was slammed on the table, the sugar jar almost tipped over from the impact. "Look..."

The waiter returned, handing O'Neill his credit card back as he wished them both a good evening and left.

The colonel pushed back his chair and stood. "Get a cab to the hotel. I'll pay for that, too." His voice was almost neutral, just a bit on the edgy side.

Now it was at Daniel to raise an eyebrow. "Something I said?"

###

The cold air bit into his warm face the moment he left the restaurant. Daniel stuffed his hands into the pockets of his gray jeans jacket as he stood on the sidewalk, waiting for his cab.

O'Neill had left long before Daniel was done putting his jacket on and making the first two wobbly steps on his artificial leg. It still was a bitch when he was exhausted or had been wearing the prosthesis for too many hours in a row. Always took him a few steps to get in sync with his real leg. After wearing that damn thing for god knew how long since he left his apartment early this morning, the still slightly sensitive skin of his stump throbbed.

Hotel room, lying down ... didn't sound too bad. He could sleep in, no work tomorrow as it was Sunday. And while Daniel often worked Sundays – categorizing new books and putting returned books back into their shelves – he didn't have to. He could take the day, visit the Smithsonian museum, things like that. He could catch an afternoon flight back.

Except Daniel was angry. He'd taken the long hours of traveling upon him because that SOB called him, had told him in Jack's typical curt and a little annoyed way they needed to talk.

Sleeping in and visiting museums wasn't why he'd come here. He could do that in NY if he wanted to, thank you very much.

He'd come because he'd thought Colonel Clueless had finally gotten the clue and was going to help them.

Daniel even had to smile when he had hung up the phone three days ago, seeking comfort from the fact that even in this messed up reality he seemed to be able to talk Jack into listening to him, however long it took him to get there.

Right.

And now O'Neill had changed his mind and dismissed him. Just like that.

Why?

The cab arrived and Daniel settled into the backseat to avoid any small talk with the driver. He said his destination, stretched his leg as far as he could and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

It was the usual exchange of words when the cab arrived at the hotel. Did he need help leaving the car? No, thank you. Would he be okay walking to the hotel alone? Yes, thank you...

"Have a good night, sir"

"Yes, you too, bye."

He watched the cab leave and turned to the brightly illuminated entrance. A lower class hotel, but the guy at the counter was nice and the rooms weren't sleazy. He'd get breakfast in the morning and the paper to his room if he wanted it, which he didn't. There was a TV and a bathroom with a shower and clean towels and bathrobes.

He took the elevator to the second floor, absently rubbing his thigh, key card in the other hand. The lights were dim, suddenly reminding Daniel of the SGC's hallways at night. Of course there was carpet here and cream colored wallpapers and the doors were of painted wood. But just for a second, the low lights had given him an illusion of the SGC with its long hallways and many doors. Office doors, lab doors, all closed at nights when only security and those who had no lives were still working.

Daniel shook his head, shrugging off the images, as he shuffled down the hall to the door of room 208.

And what's behind door number 208, he thought bemused as he swiped the card through the slot and entered.

A bed and a hot shower. Bingo.

But what really was behind door number 208 was Jack O'Neill sitting in the recliner, one of the little bottles from the mini bar open on the table beside him. He was still wearing his leather jacket, but looked almost comfortable sitting there, reading in the hotel brochure. "They only have cable TV," were the first words out of his mouth.

"So?" Daniel slammed the door shut behind him.

"Not enough sports channels."

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. At least you found a drink." He went over to the bed, sat down and switched on the little lamp on the night stand.

He couldn't see all of O'Neill's face. There were too many shadows in the room. He watched the other man pick up the little bottle. He waved it at Daniel as if he was going to make a toast and then drank from it. "This is good stuff."

"Are you paying for the mini bar bill, too?"

"Want something?" The bottle was held out to him.

"Yes. I want to know what you're doing here. After you made it perfectly clear you didn't want to talk any longer at the diner," Daniel said, rubbing his temple.

He had to admit he was only mildly surprised about Jack being in his hotel room. It was what he did. What HIS Jack had done. When they had fought, after slamming doors and walking out on each other. No matter which one of them had done the screw-up and had to do the groveling in the end, it had mostly been Jack who showed up at Daniel's place or in Daniel's office at one point. Jack had often lost his temper with him, but equally as often he had made the peace offering. In his own unique kind of way which had mostly involved bad jokes, ground out apologies, or angry yelling and pacing – before the actual talking. It had also mostly involved beer and pizza and sulking and bitching on both their parts.

Sex later. Sweet and loving or rough, still hovering at the verge of anger, make-up sex.

However, this wasn't HIS Jack. So all the cards were mixed up and Daniel wasn't sure what to expect.

Surely he didn't expect make-up sex.

Still it was like Jack to push him away and then show up at his hotel room later, to...

Do what?

There was no mystery in how he had found Daniel. They had done small talk when they'd first met at the diner; O'Neill asking how he was, Daniel telling him where he stayed... the rest was simple. The colonel coming here, talking the concierge into giving him Daniel's room number, coming up, using a credit card to open the door while Daniel had still waited for his cab... special ops stuff and all that.

The only mystery was why.

"Look, colonel, I'm pretty tired. If there's no..."

"Couldn't talk to you at the bar. Too many people." O'Neill rose and stiffly walked over to the window. Fiddling with the drapes, he looked out into the night. Daniel could see his tense face mirrored in the glass. "Tomorrow, Doctor Daniel Jackson was supposed to meet me here in DC. I get to choose my own staff. I wanted to talk to him about a job in Antarctica." O'Neill's voice was quiet, emotionless. "He never made it on the plane."

"Wha...," Daniel felt his heart give a heavy thud, the cold feeling at the pit of his stomach returning. Licking his lips, he started again. "What do you..." But of course that was a stupid question, right? 'He never made it' didn't leave much room for interpretation. Finally he just asked, "How?"

"Hit by a car on his way to the airport in NY. "

"I thought was in Egypt?"

"He has an apartment in East Village for when he's not in Egypt. Sometimes he's over here to promote his books, talk to his agents... stuff like that."

I called him, Daniel thought, talked to him. "You did your homework," he said out loud.

Two months ago... even before he finally figured out O'Neill's phone number and picked up the courage to call him, he had talked to Doctor Jackson briefly. He remembered the resentful voice on the other end of the phone, telling him to shut up and never to call again. Jackson thought Daniel had been messing with his head. He had sounded annoyed, irritated, and a bit resigned. But he must have stood up to what he had believed or he wouldn't have written books. Being able to open the Gate... it would have changed his life forever. Daniel knew. He'd been there. Now this Doctor Jackson would never find out his theories weren't far from the truth after all.

The sadness he felt was odd, like he was grieving for his own death. But the moment passed and what was left was a shadow of regret and melancholy.

All alternate Daniels seemed to end up dead sooner or later.

It was a tragedy and ironic, and for a wild hysterical moment Daniel felt like laughing. It wouldn't have been a humorous laugh. He could feel it in his chest, like a painful cough. He swallowed it down and stared at the forlorn figure standing by his hotel room window.

"Why are you telling me this? And who do you think did it? Who would be interested in killing him? No, don't answer that. There're always people who know too much and there're always people who don't want the program to continue. Same in my reality. Probably the same people here want to stop the Stargate from being opened." Names scrolled down before Daniel's inner eye. Kinsey, Simmons... and others who worked for the NID in his timeline...

"There's always someone in the crowd," the colonel said.

"Yeah."

"I can't do anything for you about fixing your timeline. They won't let you go through that Gate, no matter how loud or how much you'll yell. But there's something you should know," O'Neill said after a moment, his voice still quiet, still bare of any emotions.

"What's that?"

"Doctor Jackson ... ours... the one who..."

"Died."

"While working on a dig in Luxor, a year ago, the ceiling of a tomb came down. It squashed his left leg. He lost it."

"He... he did. He did? But... nobody mentioned that before. It wasn't in his bio on his book either. I, uh, bought one of his books to see what he... and it was a good book, too. He..." Shaking his head, Daniel rubbed his thigh again. "That's ..." When O'Neill still gazed out the window, Daniel trailed off, trying to gather his thoughts. "What are you implying here?"

"Jackson's body is still at the mortuary of the hospital they brought him to. I identified him, but the paperwork's not done. The word of his death isn't out yet."

He blinked at O'Neill, not being able to really get what he was saying. Not sure he wanted to understand. Not sure he didn't want to understand. There was hope again underneath the anxiousness.

"I'm offering you the chance to work for the program. If you want to help Earth to fight this Boccie, this is your only chance." Now O'Neill turned, their eyes locked over the distance of the room.

"Why are you doing this? And what are the chances that someone figures it out?"

"There's always risk." O'Neill shrugged.

"You... you're going to take command of the SGC... the... the base close to McMurdo. That's why you can do this." It was a stab in the dark but a nod confirmed Daniel's suspicion "They made you general."

"Not yet. Not until I take over."

"Wow, that's, congratulations, I guess."

"I can back you up on this, give you his background, arrange things. But make no mistake. You try to contact the others and the deal is off. You get caught because you're going against any of the regs they gave you and you're on your own. You're him. And he doesn't know anything about Samantha Carter or Cameron Mitchell. Or another timeline. Got that?"

"Why?" Daniel asked again. He seemed to ask that a lot tonight. "Why are you doing this?"

O'Neill walked away from the window, picked up the small bottle and emptied it. Aiming at the trashcan and throwing the bottle with a flick of his wrist, he replied, "You were right. We need you. I'd have taken him, but that's out of the question now, so you're my next best choice. And I can't get you in officially for the obvious reasons."

"They'll find out. Someone will."

"Not if you keep quiet. And if they're gonna bury you tomorrow."

He felt his throat go dry.

If he was declared dead he'd lose any hope of seeing Sam or Mitchell again. If he agreed to this, he wouldn't be able to find them, ever. He had tried over the last year, followed every hint he'd found. But the Air Force had erased their identities with great care, and every trace Daniel found led into dead ends. So maybe finding Sam and Mitchell was out of the question anyway... If he agreed to this, he'd be able to open the gate again. And once the gate was open, he would bide his time. Daniel was aware the odds for walking into the control room, overcoming security and going through the gate were close to non-existent. But at least he'd be there...

He could make a difference again. Maybe.

"What makes you think you can trust me?"

"Oh, I don't. But you're not stupid. You said it yourself. If that Ba'al character attacks, we're gonna need the gate to go to that planet, to find a power source."

"Actually, the gate on Taonas isn't working. We'd need a ship," Daniel chimed in, wondering if that had been a mistake, when O'Neill's eyes narrowed. "But you'd need to go through the Gate to contact our allies, in order to get a ship," he added hastily.

"Bottom line is – this is your only way to help. It's not what you wanted, but it's better than nothing."

"I can't do anything without Sam," he tried.

O'Neill shook his head. "Sorry. No can do. She's had too much of a rep already. Was a well known scientist. Too risky. And she's being watched way more closely than you are."

"What about..."

"Nope. Not gonna rope Mitchell in either. It's you or nobody."

"Jack..."

"You have an appointment with me tomorrow, eleven hundred sharp, The Diner, Corner North Adams Mill Road, Belmont Road. Wear something flaky. Plaid. No tie. This is a one-time offer. If you don't show, I'll assume you're not interested."

Daniel watched the door close quietly behind O'Neill.

He sat on his bed for minutes that stretched like hours, gazing at the opposite wall. Finally he began undressing and unstrapping his prosthesis, going through the movements mechanically, his thoughts tumbling in his head. Part of him believed he had hallucinated. That the Jack O'Neill who had stood in his room making this crazy offer was only a product of his overactive imagination. Because even though he was being used to weird beyond weirdness... this was... well, weird. And wrong on so many levels.

But in an abstract way it was like starting over. Doing it all again from scratch. With the major difference that Daniel was, at least theoretically, mentally prepared for it this time.

For what was out there.

He checked out of his hotel and went to buy a plaid shirt the next morning, feeling oddly torn between finding the whole situation hilarious – in a hysterical way – and being disgusted that he was really going to do this. He hadn't worn plaid shirts in a very long time. Jack... Jack always used to tell him he shouldn't hide his goods behind the baggy pants and plaid shirts. And Jack had Sam and Janet on his back, all three of them gently prodding Daniel until he had finally yielded and went shopping with them. And he'd discovered a liking for plain shirts and jeans that weren't too tight but not too baggy either. Jack used to say it was a huge improvement and Daniel was inclined to agree.

O'Neill looked at him when he entered The Diner and nodded approval. Nothing more. The conversation during the signing of various papers was short and all the questions Daniel needed to ask, all the things he wanted to say, bounced off the colonel like off a concrete wall.

"We'll talk once we're both on base," O'Neill said. He gave Daniel the address of and the keys to Doctor Jackson's apartment, a wallet with credit cards, ID, sixty dollars and a library card for the NY State Library. "That's what we found with him. "

"And I assume you want my stuff in exchange now," Daniel said.

"Right."

"See, I'm still not entirely sure I want to do this."

"Yet, you're here." O'Neill raised his left eyebrow and Daniel noticed, not for the first time, that there was no scar. It was like a fix point for him. He had to stare at it, the most obvious evidence that this Jack wasn't his.

No scar.

Finally Daniel leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "You need me. If you're not a little more forthcoming, I'll just walk out of here."

"No, you're not."

"Watch me?" Daniel pushed back his chair but O'Neill didn't move, didn't even flinch.

"You can't let this opportunity go by."

"And why wouldn't I? I've tried to warn you. We all have. What makes you think I even care? This isn't my life, you know? I had a life, but it's gone. I'm merely sitting through my time, waiting for what's to come."

"You care for your friends. You won't just sit here, letting things happen if you have the slightest chance to make a difference." Brown eyes nailed him down and Daniel felt like melting under their intensity. "And you already signed most of the papers anyway."

Why did that man know him so well? It was unsettling.

"I need Sam," he insisted, glaring right back. "You need Sam."

"No."

"You do."

"No, we don't."

"Do." Daniel felt like laughing again at the familiarity of this game, even in this fucked up situation.

"We can't," O'Neill finally said, weary. "She's out of the question. You know that."

They sat there, coffee gone cold, looking at each other, neither one of them yielding.

Finally Daniel reached into his jacket and put his wallet on the table between them.

Michael Christopher, librarian, was dead.

He took a flight back to NY.

But instead of going to his apartment, he walked into the building where the other Daniel Jackson used to live.

Taking the first step of being him. Being that guy who wrote books about his theories, who was chasing ancient aliens in Egypt.

He was sure the janitor, who was changing a light bulb in the hall, wouldn't buy his act. His counterpart for starters had worn different glasses, his hair had been longer...

Daniel was wearing a plaid shirt, at least.

The janitor didn't even bat an eyelid, wished him a good day and went back to working on the light bulb problem.

Daniel took the elevator, left it at the third floor, walked along the hallway to apartment...

8–3.

Now, this was spooky.

He fumbled around with the keys O'Neill had given him, unlocked the door and walked into this other man's home like an intruder, like a burglar...

...and was hit by the feeling of home, the faint smell of ... himself... the swords hanging at the far wall of the hallway, the many artifacts on the shelves, collecting dust. Like a sleepwalker he moved through the living room, touched the piano, the pictures of his parents... himself on a camel in Egypt... He picked up the National Geographic magazines on the coffee table, a mug, the remaining coffee dried on the bottom.

There was a double bed in the other corner of the room, blue covers thrown over blue pillows. The apartment wasn't overly tidy, but not messy either. Just stuffed. And smaller than his own apartment 8-3 had been. One room, one kitchen, one bathroom, no balcony.

But the things he found were his. An echo of the life he had to leave behind. Of the life that had ceased to exist when Ba'al had succeeded in his plan.

He wandered into the kitchen, a small room with a fridge and a stove. No oven. No pans hanging from a rack. Everything was put neatly away and when he opened the fridge, it was empty except of a bottle of Chardonnay, half a loaf of bread and some butter.

He found cereals in the cabinets, crackers, chocolate cookies, cans of soup, and some other ready to cook meals. And coffee. Good stuff. Of course.

He found unopened mail, addressed to Doctor Daniel Jackson... bills mostly, a letter from his agency, junk mail... but it was his name on the envelopes. Not the name of that new identity the AF had forced on him.

And when he realized that he had gotten his name back at least, if not his old life, he stood there in the kitchen of this oddly familiar home and started laughing, fearing he might finally get hysterical over all this.

He forced himself to stop, went to the fridge, pulled out the bottle of wine and searched for a glass. Then he sat at Doctor Jackson's kitchen table, his cane leaning against the kitchen counter, and downed the wine.

"To a happy new life," he said to the empty room and chuckled again. "Thanks to Doctor Daniel Jackson, may he rest in peace."

###

The largest Antarctic station, McMurdo was built on the bare volcanic rock of Hut Point Peninsula on Ross Island, the most southerly solid ground accessible by ship. It was located just 20 miles south of Mt. Erebus, an active volcano that steamed continually and erupted frequently, though not violently.

McMurdo had airports and a seaport, research laboratories and support facilities. A Coast Guard icebreaker in Winter Quarters Bay was tied to the pier, which was built of ice.

When Daniel had exited the chopper that brought him here, his first thought had been that McMurdo seemed to be just as he remembered it from previous visits.

He stood there, his breath forming a frozen cloud in front of his mouth as he'd taken it all in. Barracks, huts, and huge waste containers. A light-colored building complex housed the Albert P. Crary Science & Engineering Center. The base consisted of approximately eighty five buildings, ranging from small radio shacks to large, three-story structures in size.

The most magnificent view, however, was the incredible blue sky and the sun, the blinding whiteness in the distance, snow covered mountains, ice covered ocean...

And there was the cold; a dry cold, not the damp chilliness Daniel knew from Colorado or New York. This was less annoying, actually. But it still wasn't a climate he'd choose to live in. He preferred warmth. He hated the thick snowsuit making him feel clumsy, like a teddy bear. His non-existent leg acted up due to the change of climate, and dressing the prosthesis into the thick garments was a pain. They had made him special boots so he could walk more steadily even when the ground was frozen, but it took time to get used to it. Fortunately the base complex was snow free during the summer months, so there wasn't much danger for him to slip and break his good leg as well at the moment.

The new Stargate Center had still been under construction when Daniel arrived in Antarctica, but it was close to finished now and lay approximately twenty miles north from McMurdo.

At first Daniel had shared a barrack with the scientists from the Crary Center. They'd showed him around and he'd found himself interested in their work of marine and terrestrial science. Before the Stargate facility had officially been opened there hadn't been much for him to do, and so he'd spent a lot of time in the libraries of the Science center, reading essays and reports about ice mechanics, meteorology and marine life studies.

For the first time in over a year Daniel hadn't felt like he was running on auto-pilot anymore. For the first time he'd felt more alive again, was interested in studying, learning... Finally he had his mind on other things than Ba'al, Sam, Cam, or his grief for Jack.

But he never forgot.

When the weather allowed it, when there was no ice fog or snow storm, Daniel often stood outside, watching the cloudless blue sky, looking for ...

Ships.

...signs of what he knew was bound to happen one day.

It never happened.

Not a week, not a month, not three months after he'd arrived at McMurdo.

Not after four months of living on base, when the new SGC had finally been ready for occupancy and operational. Underground like Cheyenne Mountain, only it was tons of ice surrounding them instead of rocks. And the base was much smaller than the Mountain used to be.

Since the day Daniel had signed the papers to be assigned to the best hidden secret of the government, his oath to be killed rather than to talk about what he was doing for god and country, the cover story of what he really was doing on McMurdo (not deep space telemetry this time but weather control and research) and various other papers, he hadn't seen Jack O'Neill again.

He had, however, met Doctor Lee, Doctor McKay and Doctor Rothman. Daniel had no problem acting as if he'd never met McKay. They only had seen each other on a couple of occasions over the last years in his own reality. The overly arrogant attitude of the country's most noted physicist (in this timeline) hadn't changed, so there was no problem acting formal with McKay. Robert Rothman and Bill Lee were another story. He had been friends with both of them and meeting them again was beyond strange.

Even to Daniel.

There were others. Lou Feretti, Kowalsky, Dixon, Warren... the list of names and familiar faces was long as the assigned SG teams and other personnel arrived at the new outpost.

It was a relief to move underground where it was warm, dry, and where he didn't have to put on layers and layers of clothing to go to the commissary or to a store. He moved into one of the base quarters on the same level as Lee and Rothman. There was a commissary, attached to a small supermarket and Daniel found that he didn't have to leave this SGC if he didn't want to.

Everything smelled like fresh paint and synthetics, everything looked new and shiny. Some levels were still under construction so the base hummed with noises of drilling, sawing, and hammering.

Siler was running through corridors, wrench and tool box part of him like he had never done anything else. In this reality he was head of the construction crew and would probably stay as a technician. Daniel couldn't help it. He had to smile every time he saw the man; always busy, always working on something.

Brigadier General Jack O'Neill's office was wedged between the control room and the briefing room, with doors to both areas. Control room, briefing room, and the base CO's office were all on one level, the gate room one level down. Like at Cheyenne Mountain, the control room had a bullet proof window to the gate room.

A couple of days after he'd moved into his base quarters, Daniel found himself hovering in front of the general's office door. O'Neill had given his welcome speech yesterday, but according to Robert Rothman, he had been on base for quite some time.

Daniel wondered if the general had been hiding from him.

He took a deep breath and knocked while entering.

Jack... O'Neill... sat at his desk, a pile of paperwork to his left, signing something and stacking it on the other pile of folders to his right. He looked up briefly, his lips quirking into a smirk. "I thought you'd find me earlier."

"I was busy," Daniel replied, frowning. "I figured you were, too."

"Didn't think that'd stop you from coming here and pestering me." Another smirk as he continued signing forms.

"It's not. Not anymore." He shuffled around the two visitor chairs and sat into the left one, carefully maneuvering his artificial leg so it didn't knock against the polished desk.

He couldn't help but noticing the differences between his SGC and this one, filing them away on an almost subconscious level. It happened automatically wherever he went. The general's office was similar to the one Daniel knew from home. Though the furniture was new, light colored wood, a different chair. But the flags were there and O'Neill had already put up his medals, and there was a model jet fighter on his desk and a picture of Charlie...

Charlie, who was alive here. Daniel smiled briefly, thinking that was one huge upside in this whole mess.

"So. How do we do this?" He placed his elbows on the arms of the chair, pressing his fingertips together, in an effort to come across as calm and professional.

Which he was.

Just...

Daniel had the benefit of experience with other realities. He had also lived in this one for a fairly long time. Yet, he found himself struggling with the turn this reality had taken for him. It was like traveling back in time, without the time travel. Because he was still very much living in the year 2008. But the people he knew from home, the ones he had worked with daily... They didn't have his experience or knowledge. The Stargate, standing proud and tall in a room very similar to the one at Cheyenne Mountain, was new to them. They didn't know what to expect, didn't know how to deal with this 'ring of stone'... Scientists were bustling all over the place, trying to solve the riddle of the glyphs...

And Daniel couldn't tell them what it was made of, couldn't just barge in there and read the glyphs, tell them about the Cartouche they'd find on Abydos. Couldn't provide gate addresses...

He still wasn't entirely sure he actually should provide them with anything. So many issues looming at the horizon.

Waiting for Ba'al's attack and doing nothing was no option either.

It was a fine line to walk, too easy to cross.

"How long did it take you to solve the secret of the gate in your timeline?" O'Neill asked, putting away his paperwork at least.

"Two weeks. But I only did the first step. A lot of other people made it work..."

"Do it in one. Go, do your magic. Beat around the bush a bit, put up an act – and then stun them into amazement."

Daniel blinked. "You really want me to ... act?"

"Well, you can't just go out there and do it now, can ya? So yes, I want you to act. I also want you to read this." A folder was pushed at him and Daniel took it, his fingers curling around it.

"What's that?"

"It's a detailed report on what exactly those geeks were clued in already. You weren't there for the first briefings because it took the president that long to make up his mind about Doctor Jackson's involvement in this program. This should cover it all. Read it so you won't tell them things they already know..."

"Or so I won't tell them things they're not supposed to know, yet."

"Nobody knows about the alternate timeline or this Boccie guy. They do know we found the gate here, that it's a doorway of some sort leading to other planets. Everything else they know and don't know is in there."

Daniel flipped through the folder, reading bits and pieces. "Rothman already suspects the glyphs on the gate and the DHD are related to ancient Egypt," he mumbled. "That's good. There's a problem though. We found coverstones along with our gate. On one of the coverstones was the cartouche giving us the first gate address."

"Abydos."

"Yes. How do you expect me to come up with the address for Abydos without any reference to get it from? Do I just snap my fingers and become psychic?"

O'Neill pursed his lips. "McKay is working on that dialing device we found with the gate..."

"The DHD. It works like a phone, you punch in the symbols... But you need to know the number in order to dial a gate. You can't just dial some symbols and hope it'll open the gate."

"You could get lucky?"

"Are you serious?" Daniel stared at the man.

"Think of something. You're the genius around here. We can't just give them gate addresses. Not even the few you were willing to give us during interrogations. Only a handful of people know what really happened. No one knows you're him. If we suddenly come up with gate addresses on our own, someone will get suspicious. Sorry for the farce, but it has to go this way."

"Right."

Of course. This was Jack O'Neill after all.

"McKay is trying to kick the power source alive," O'Neill said after a pause.

"It's a crystal. But he should be able to make it work without. Except... we once used a DHD connected to our power system." When Teal'c had been stuck into the gate's vortex. They had begged Russia to borrow their DHD to get him back.

"What happened?"

"It blew up."

"Ah."

"Uh,..."

"You have any idea why?"

"Nope. Sam could explain it to you." Daniel couldn't resist that little nudge.

"We'll figure somethin' out." There was a knowing upward twitch of O'Neill's mouth.

Pushing himself off the chair, he made his way to the door. "Good luck." He waved at O'Neill with the folder and left, a very childish part of him hoping McKay would choke on the DHD.

###

"That should cover it." Daniel took a look around his new office. All boxes were unpacked, all computers, printers, phone and the fax machine plugged in. His Internet was running and the technician just left with last instructions on how to deal with minor difficulties, and whom to call should the system crash.

The office was smaller than the one he'd been used to at the SGC, but bigger than the office he had worked in at the library. Not all of the shelves were filled yet; he needed more books, more dictionaries, more folders... A pile of request forms, filled out an signed, ready to go out, were on his desk. But he'd also taken what he needed from his... this timeline's Doctor Jackson's... huge book collection and brought it with him.

He limped over to his new desk, the remainder of his leg painfully rubbing against the socket of the prosthesis. It was his cue to call it a night, go to his quarters and put that thing off.

"I might get some fish," he muttered. There was just the right spot in the left corner, an unused table. It would fit for a small aquarium. Otherwise it'd just end up being cluttered eventually.

"I heard there's some great spots for ice fishing around here."

"What? Oh, no. I meant for my..." He turned to find Jack O'Neill standing in the open doorway, wearing blue BDUs, carrying a large cardboard box. "Never mind... Ice fishing?"

"Yep. Comes with the ice."

"Sounds cold."

"You'd be sitting in an ice shack with a heater to keep you warm."

"If that's an offer to join you, the answer's no." Daniel had no intention of sitting in a small shack around a hole in the ground to fish. Especially not with this Jack O'Neill. He briefly wondered if his Jack would've enjoyed ice fishing... Probably yes. Jack was... had been... addicted to fishing. Not to the fish, mind you. But give him a lone spot at a lake, a cabin, a fishing rod and beer – and he'd been a happy camper. He could sit there, gazing over the water, fishing rod in steady hands, beer next to him, for hours.

Daniel had spent time with Jack at his lake, drawn in by the quiet: his always restless mind finally settling, enjoying the momentary peace of those stolen weekends.

"It wasn't."

Blinking, he surfaced from the memories. "What?"

"No invitation. You're not a fishing kinda guy anyway." It was said with a shrug, no big deal.

Of course not. What was he thinking? Scowling, Daniel refused to register the faint sting of rejection.

O'Neill strolled in and placed the box on Daniel's desk, right on top of his freshly printed documents. Rothman's take on the DHD symbols. "Thought you might want this."

"What is it?"

"This?" O'Neill patted the box. "Brought it for my office. But it doesn't go with the wallpapers." Giving the box a final pat, the general left, leaving it to Daniel to figure it out.

Frowning, he opened the box staring at its content. The frown was replaced by a smile, followed by a deeper frown, followed by a murmured, "What the f..."

"Okay, let's try it this way. The symbols on the dialing device don't resemble any known words..." Daniel looked at Robert expectantly.

They were staring at a graphic of the DHD, the circles of symbols magnified on the computer screen in Daniel's office

"It's what I said, isn't it? It doesn't make any sense whatsoever... this... this is all scrambled."

"No words. But what else could it be? It has to mean something." Figure it out, Daniel thought, frustrated. Come on. You'd be the hero of the day.

Robert used his nasal spray and sniffed. "I really hate the air conditioning. Anyway... do you think it might be some sort of code?"

"Maybe. I mean this is a device connected to the Stargate. You use it to make the gate work, right? Like you'd use a phone..." Daniel trailed off, waiting for his colleague to pick it up.

"So... they are numbers. But they're not. Not Egyptian numbers as we know them."

"It dials other planets," Daniel prompted. "At least that's what we were told it's supposed to do."

"How about Star constellations. Does anyone want coffee?" Daniel and Robert looked up at Bill Lee who just activated Daniel's new fancy espresso machine.

Daniel held his breath, waiting for Robert to... finally... come on, that can't be so hard.

"Star constellations?" Robert blinked, slowly turning back to the screen while the espresso machine started to hum, heating up.

"Well it goes out to other planets... the gate... so I... I thought that maybe... you know, it could be star constellations on the device? Each symbol..."

"Resembling a constellation," Daniel finished.

"Yes," Robert mumbled, pushing up his glasses. "Yes." He tapped the screen. "YES!" He gestured at the pictures, knocking over a pile of books without noticing. "Look! Look here... of course... Daniel, this is Orion. I need... need a book..." He looked around the office. "Do you have...?"

Daniel went to one of the shelves and pulled out a book about ancient Egyptian Astronomy. Rothman snatched it from his hands and Daniel settled back in his chair, watching things unfold. Bill handed him a mug of coffee as he joined them at the computer screen.

"Thirty Eight symbols," Robert nodded, flipping through the pages of the book. He found the page he was looking for and, pointing between the screen and the book, he couldn't suppress his excitement. "Here... Cancer... Gemini... Hydra... This is... These constellations must be placed in a unique order forming a map or an address of sorts."

"To find a destination within any three dimensional space, you need six points to determine the exact location," Bill Lee said. He grabbed a notepad and a marker. He drew a cube and placed one dot in the center of each of the six sides of the cube. Then he drew lines between all the dots, intersecting at a spot inside the cube. "Okay, now to chart a course, you need..."

"A point of origin," Daniel said quietly. "As a seventh symbol. Seven symbols in an unique order make one gate address. "

Bill nodded. "The glyphs on the dialing device are the same as the glyphs on the gate. So it really is like using a phone."

"The point of origin is Earth," Robert mumbled. His fingers were dancing over the screen, trailing along the symbols until he found it. "There. That's the symbol for Earth. The pyramid with the sun on top. It presents Egypt and Ra in the sky. That must be it."

Smiling, Daniel took a sip from his coffee and left the other two to their exciting discovery. If he had to be part of this scam he could at least do it to Robert's and Bill's benefit. They'd be the ones who worked the miracle this time. Having a DHD as opposed to a dialing computer made things much simpler on the whole. Daniel remembered Sam telling him it had taken the military astrophysicists over fifteen years to MacGyver the dialing computer together... before Daniel had come to the SGC and made it actually work by figuring out the symbols.

Here, the DHD was already there, and once Rodney was able to turn it on and MacGyver it to connect with the gate, they could dial out.

Provided someone came up with the first gate address.

To Abydos.

Or Chulak.

But Abydos would be the wiser decision as it would give these people the cartouche with gate addresses. He had to make sure O'Neill didn't send any bombs through, first. He wondered if O'Neill might let him go through the gate... to Abydos... To repeat history.

To meet Sha're again.

He didn't know how to feel about that.

Then what? Once the gate had been opened the SGC would be running missions ... would they go to Chulak? Meet Teal'c? Would history take the same turns as it had in his timeline, only a decade later?

And even more pressing was the voice of his own conscience.

Could he live with being responsible once again for leading them to Abydos... to risk Sha're and Skaara being taken again... or any other Abydonian for that matter... even if it meant freeing Abydos from enslavement once again?

Where was Ba'al?

Opening the gate didn't just mean getting allies. It also meant faceing the Goa'uld again. Daniel had no idea how the power was balanced out there now. But then the damage was already done, wasn't it? Ba'al had a master plan. Sooner or later he would show up on their doorstep with no good intentions.

Gazing at the espresso machine sitting on the table in the corner, Daniel knew he had to talk to O'Neill. About all this. And the espresso machine. He couldn't see why it wouldn't go with the wallpapers in O'Neill's office. Not that there were any wallpapers in the first place.

He knew he was putting this discussion off, and among other things, avoiding the general in general.

###

They watched in silence as the iris was installed. Daniel felt bitter, thinking it was thanks to Sam, Cam, and himself that things went a lot faster and more smoothly this time around. All the precautions, the iris, the GDOs... all that was based on the information they had shared during the long days of interrogation.

And to Daniel providing intel as they went along.

He wished his teammates could be with him, wished he could let them know what was going on.

McKay had figured out a way to activate the DHD and connect it to the gate and their computer in the control room. He even figured out a way to make it work without having the DHD blow up in their faces. The doctor was arrogant and annoying, but apparently he knew how to do his job.

As soon as the iris was installed, the first SG team had a go - to an uninhabited world Daniel had remembered the address to. Well, it had been uninhabited in his timeline so he wasn't all too sure what exactly they'd run into. All they knew was that the gate started dialing once they punched in the symbols.

A wormhole had established, the MALP went through and came back with positive data. Breathable atmosphere, mild temps, a forest area. No life signs in the MALP's range.

"How'd Rothman figure the address out?" O'Neill's voice was low so only Daniel could hear it through the bustle and hustle in the control room.

"Oh, he said he found a note on his desk with the symbols scribbled on it and he thought why not giving it a try? Can you believe his face when he realized he lucked out?" Daniel grinned as he remembered Robert's reaction when the seventh chevron locked and the gate sprang to life. "He's sure he wrote it down himself at some point while trying to decipher the symbols."

"Good for him." O'Neill's voice dripped with sarcasm and Daniel knew it was suppressed anger. Directed at him.

"Yep," he replied, still grinning.

They remained standing next to each other in the control room until Siler gave a thumbs up, letting them know the iris was firmly in place. "Good job," O'Neill said over the speaker, then ordered the first SG team to stand by until the gate room was cleared by the technical crew.

"My office. Now," he snapped at Daniel and left without waiting for an answer.

Daniel wasn't intimidated or worried. He knew this confrontation was bound to happen the moment he had placed the note on Robert's desk.

Following O'Neill at a much more leisurely pace he entered the office, closed the door behind himself and leaned against the wall.

He was ready for the storm. As ready as he could ever be.

"Care to explain why Rothman found this address on his desk and not the one for Abydos?"

"Because I'm not comfortable sending anyone to Abydos just yet."

"May I ask, why?"

"Well, for starters, I have no more reason to trust you than you have to trust me."

O'Neill grimaced. "There's that."

"You assigned me to the program..."

"You... not you-you but the other you... had been assigned for this program before you-you were assigned to it. The President personally gave his approval of my choice."

"Yeah, see, that's one of the issues I have. Why did you want me... the other me... on the program? You didn't seem to be overly impressed by me... me."

"I read the reports after Landry talked to me. And I figured that since I can't have you, I'd go looking for the... other... you."

"That's interesting."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. I had some time to think and I'm wondering – You said you went to identify the other Daniel after his death, so they must've called you. Isn't it a bit odd that the hospital called you? A guy he didn't even know?"

"They found my mobile number in his pocket, so they called me. We were going to meet, remember? And what does that have to do with anything?"

"And you chose not to report his death and came up with that brilliant plan to get me? Who else is in on this?"

"You ever heard of classified?"

"Yes. But since I'm the classified subject here, I'd like to have a little more intel."

"Is this going somewhere? Or are you just trying to change the subject?"

"It's just one of many pieces of the puzzle that don't fit."

"You like puzzles? Fine. Figure out how to solve the puzzle of giving Rothman another gate address without having him or someone else suspect something!"

"I won't give him any more gate addresses."

"Strike that. Rothman wouldn't suspect anything if a starship landed on his desk," O'Neill groused, glare still firmly in place. "What do you want, Doctor Jackson?"

"What are your motives? Honestly. What are they? Is this..." Daniel stepped forward until he stood on the other side of the desk. He waved around the room, meaning to put the whole SGC into the gesture, "...just about being able to defend Earth and going the same way we did? What does the military want to do with the Stargate? If I provide you with the address of Abydos – will you send a bomb through? Or will you listen to my suggestions? Because I have a few conditions to make."

"We won't send a bomb to Abydos. All three of you have confirmed they're peaceful people. Why would we want to send a bomb?"

"Because there might be a Goa'uld waiting on the other side? Maybe even Ba'al?"

"Didn't you say Abydos belonged to that other guy – and that you killed him off?"

"Ra, yes. But since Ba'al changed the timeline we didn't kill Ra off. Things aren't necessarily the way they were in my time. You must have thought about that. So, Ra – or any other system lord - probably rules on Abydos."

O'Neill threw the pen he had played with on the desk. "I did. But believe it or not, we don't just send bombs to other places just because there might be a threat. We're going to send a team through, doing what you suggested. Finding those people, talk to them, find the Cartouche."

"Freeing them if they're enslaved? And if you free them, make sure to get enough back up there so they won't be defenseless if another system lord shows up to claim the territory?"

"Standing orders are recon only."

"And if you run into an enslaved world you'll just take what you want and turn your back on them?"

"What's next? You telling me you want to go through the gate to play the hero?"

"Well, YES – while we're at it!"

"Yeah, right. Have you looked at yourself lately?"

"I could do it. I'm mobile."

The glare became darker the longer they locked eyes. Daniel knew what they must look like, standing there at either side of the desk. He could see O'Neill's grimly set jaw and the narrowed eyes and knew the general's features were mirroring his own.

"I don't want innocent people to die. I've had enough of that," Daniel finally said, taking a mental step back.

O'Neill's face hardened even more if that was possible.

"I mean it. I'm aware there are always casualties, that there will be death. It comes with opening the gate. But there are people on Abydos I called family in my time. I can't and won't let something happen to Abydos." Not again. Not if I can prevent it, he thought grimly.

"You're dismissed. Get the hell out of my office."

"We either leave Abydos alone or we go there and do it right. Leave teams there, help them to defend themselves. I'm aware I'm asking a lot here, but those are my conditions for giving you the Abydos address or any other gate address for that matter."

"What? Is that a 'take it or leave it' speech?"

"Yep. Pretty much." Daniel pushed himself off the desk. "Oh and by the way? How did you know about my coffee habits? That espresso machine must've been expensive."

He left a glowering O'Neill behind, feeling a little smug about having the last word. He could tell that this Jack wasn't used to backtalk. Well, get used to it, Daniel thought, you wanted me here, now you've got me.

Daniel dried off his stump carefully, making sure there were no damp spots. He had learned how important it was to take care of it in order to prevent skin irritation or unnecessary pain. After the surgery and the first painful experiences with PT and learning to walk again, with and without the fake leg, he had tried to ignore his missing limb. But the new leg wouldn't fit properly, causing the stump to became sore and infected. So Daniel had learned the hard way to live with his handicap if he wanted to be prepared for Ba'al's showdown -whenever that might happen.

Without Jack's annoying, but loving support of nagging, bitching and – if necessary – ordering him to rest, exercise, take meds and do whatever was good for him, Daniel had to face this journey alone. It wasn't new to him. He had been used to face most things in his life alone before SG1. But now that he had gotten used to Jack's mother henning and the support of his other friends, he missed it.

God, he missed them.

But he'd gritted his teeth and gone through the adaptation. Was in a wheelchair until his stump had healed again after being infected, got an new prosthesis, walked on two canes first, then one, now mostly without. He had plowed his way through exercising, PT, learned to bandage his stump and give it massages – because who else would do it for him – learned to move around without his prosthesis, to live with the pins and needles of the phantom pain...

Tonight the pain wasn't that bad and Daniel hoped he'd be able to sleep without giving in to taking a pill. There were days and weeks in between now where the pain was gone, even the phantom pain. But when he worked too long, had his prosthesis on too long, it still hurt.

He washed the elastic sock he was now wearing instead of the bandages in warm soapy water, then rinsed it and laid it out to dry on a towel on the bathtub counter. It was important to keep the sock clean so no sweat could dry in it and cause infections. He also had to wash out the socket of his fake leg daily.

It was routine by now.

Dressed in an old t-shirt and boxers, he left the bathroom, using his cane to maneuver himself through the main room, and settled on his bed. He checked his stump for cuts, sore spots or rashes and didn't find any, which was good.

Daniel took off his glasses and put them on the nightstand. He leaned against the headboard of the bed, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

The first trip through the gate had been a success. The team came back alive and uninjured, the planet was still uninhabited, and they brought back plant and mineral samples. Every scientist on base was going to have a field day with those.

There was a party scheduled for tomorrow. To celebrate Robert's breakthrough.

Daniel was glad for him and for Bill Lee, who would get a piece of the cake as well for figuring out the star constellations.

Daniel didn't feel like partying.

He wouldn't admit it to O'Neill but...

He's right. I won't go through that gate... not without somebody there to assist me.

He'd be spit out on the other end of the wormhole falling flat on his face without two good legs to support him. No matter how hard he exercised, the prosthesis would always be a handicap to some degree. In battle as well as in fast retreat.

"Shit," he said to the empty room. He hadn't thought it would hit him that hard. The realization that even though he was part of the Stargate program again, he wouldn't be able to join a team. Oh, part of him had always known this, he wasn't that stupid. But as long as it all was just theoretically, he'd been able to push those thoughts away.

Sure there were amputees who did sports and he even had heard of soldiers going back into the field after having recovered and being trained to use their artificial legs like it was their own. But it had barely been a year for Daniel and he wasn't there yet.

Great. Being in denial was a nice thing until you were forced to come out of it.

There was a short rap at the door and before he could open his mouth to say he didn't want company, O'Neill walked in.

Oh, the last person he wanted to see right now. "What do you want?"

"If there's need to make it a rescue mission, I'll do what I can," the general said, voice gruff. "You have to understand the president has a very close eye on what we're doing here. There's a part of the government assigned to watch us. Officially they're watching our backs. But as these things go, they're just there to make sure we don't cross lines."

NID.

Great.

O'Neill raked his eyes over Daniel, not lingering on the exposed stump, not even flinching at it. Usually people avoided looking at his leg, even when dressed. Daniel had gotten used to the glances of pity he received. However, if O'Neill's military career had been anything like Jack's he had seen worse.

"All I can give you is my word I won't risk anybody's life if I can avoid it. That goes for my people and anyone who's out there – as long as they don't have glowy eyes."

"Thanks." Daniel knew this was the best he could hope for. "Uh, I should probably tell you about the Tok'ra?"

"Carter mentioned them. What about them?"

"They have glowy eyes. But they're no Goa'uld. Well, they are, but, they're really not. It's... kinda complicated. They're from a different gene pool. Their queen..."

O'Neill shushed him by raising a finger. "Aht! We'll ... talk. I decided I need to know a hell of a lot more about... everything."

Daniel's eyebrows wandered upwards. "You do?"

"I hate it. But yeah, I do." He sounded whiny. Daniel smiled, which earned him a scowl.

"Okay. Where do you want me to start? And when?"

"We have to do this off the record. The security cams don't record audio but someone might start asking questions if we have private briefings on a regular basis. I'd like to talk to you about every planet we'll send a team to beforehand. You can give me basic information as we go."

"Sounds like a plan." Damn, he'd feel better knowing it was O'Neill going out there instead of being bound to his desk. Preferably O'Neill and him. And Sam, Teal'c, and Cam.

He wondered where Teal'c was, hoping the Jaffa was well and would make the right choices if confronted with them.

He wondered what Ba'al was doing this very moment.

He tried hard not to think about Vala...

"So..." O'Neill looked around, probably for something to keep his hands busy with. He found a book and flipped through the pages without giving it a look. His eyes were on Daniel, intense, while his voice was casual, at the verge of boredom. "You going to the party tomorrow night? It's hair down time."

"Um, no. I have work to do. Especially now. I'll give you a detailed report on what to expect on Abydos. So I have to make notes. At least based on how it was in my timeline."

"First you have to find a way to give Robert the idea for the address."

"I'll think of something."

"Sweet. Party starts at seven. Don't be late."

###

He wrote his notes by hand, requested so by O'Neill who didn't want them anywhere on a computer. Scribbling down what he knew about Abydos; time change, climate, area, locations, and people, Daniel fought the surfacing memories of his wife, his extended family and the place he had once called home.

Such a long time ago.

It still hurt. Old wounds, the taking and death of Sha're, had healed. But they were layered with fresher ones from the day when Anubis had destroyed the whole planet, while Daniel had been whisked away by Oma. She had insisted Anubis would have destroyed him had she not interfered. Once he'd remembered bits and pieces of his ascended time, he had tried hard to move on from the guilt, but thinking about Abydos now brought it back.

Here, Abydos still existed, in whatever form.

It was a comforting and scary thought all at once.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts and he had a sinking feeling he knew who'd barge in on him.

It was around eight.

Or twenty hundred.

"You're supposed to eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. Didn't I tell you not to be late?"

"I don't..."

"Get dressed. There's punch. And wine. You like wine, right? Red wine. Oh, and did I mention the food?"

"I am dressed. And yes, I do like wine. How do you..." Daniel trailed off when he turned to look at the general.

O'Neill was in civvies, black button down shirt, sleeves rolled up loosely to his elbows, cream colored cargo pants. His hair, which seemed to be more silver than usual, was tousled at the top of his head. No matter what Jack did with his hair, no matter how short he wore it, it always looked ruffled at one point.

Oh god. Daniel used to love Jack's hair. Short and soft, the color of a silver wolf's coat. Great contrast to those brown eyes.

"You're not going to our first base party, dressed in sweats," O'Neill said.

"It's Robert's party."

"And he's your friend and you'll be there, socializing. C'me on."

"McKay will be there," Daniel muttered as he rose from his desk chair and reached for his cane. "I need to put my leg on."

He went into the bathroom to put on the sock and the leg, all the time wondering why he complied. Jack... O'Neill's looks must have temporarily interfered with Daniel's brain cells.

But holy buckets, the man looked...

Hot.

Don't even go there, Daniel warned himself. Don't even frigging go there. The man is married and has a kid. That man isn't Jack. He's just... He's...

"McKay has enough company to occupy him. Can you believe the women actually fall for the guy?" O'Neill's voice sounded muffled through the half closed bathroom door.

"I thought some of the men have a thing for him..." Daniel made sure his leg was attached properly, then looked into the bathroom mirror and decided he needed a shave.

"Why, because he's a geek?"

Applying shaving cream to his chin and cheeks, Daniel snorted, "Yeah. That, too."

"You're a geek, too." O'Neill said from the other room.

"So?"

"Just sayin'. Might watch for guys checking you out too then."

Well, hello? Daniel raised his eyebrows at his reflection in the mirror. "Maybe, who knows?"

Oh, he had to be careful not to enjoy their bantering too much...

The grin faded as he rinsed his razor.

What was happening here? When had they become comfortable with each other? Ever since they had met there hadn't been much personal conversation between them. Until yesterday.

A memory surfaced, crisp and outstanding in Daniel's deep ocean of memories...

...They sat around a campfire underneath an alien sky, sipping hot coffee, watching the sparks of their fire pit flare.

"How much time do you need to videotape your chicken scratchings tomorrow, Daniel? And don't say three hours if you mean four. If you're going to say three hours, three it is," Jack grumbled.

"Four, then," Daniel said, pushing up his glasses. "Maybe f..."

"Ah ah ah... Four or five?"

"Ja-ack..."

"Hammond wants to know when we're ready to come home. Tomorrow. Not in a week."

"Four thirty?"

"Deal."

"Fine."

"I'll call you on it." Jack said sternly. But there was a twitch in the corner of his mouth and Daniel bowed his head, staring into his coffee to hide his smile.

This was getting more and more like flirting. Or like foreplay. This bickering, bantering... this thing they did. The little fights they had about... oh, almost everything lately. It was like a contest. Who was the most stubborn SOB on the team? Who scored in the sarcastic department? Who could stare the other one down the most? Well, Jack scored in most of it, but Daniel was a quick study. It wasn't always in jest. Sometimes it almost got out of hand if work-related issues were involved. But mostly it was just a smoke screen for...

From the other side of the fire, Sam grinned and nudged Teal'c's boot with hers. "In for a bet?"

"Twenty," Teal'c replied. "DanielJackson will stretch the time to five hours."

"Six." Sam said.

"How much money will you contribute, MajorCarter?"

"Thirty."

"Very well."

Next to Daniel, Jack huffed, "Excuse me, Major Carter? Are you implying I won't order Daniel back to the gate on schedule only because he demands more time?"

"Oh, you'll order him, sir." She said, keeping a straight face. "Quite loudly."

"Indeed."

Daniel wasn't exactly sure if he should be embarrassed or amused while Jack was fuming beside him, pointing a stiff finger at Carter. "I can't believe you two have bets running on whether or not I'm spoiling my archaeologist."

"Jack..." Daniel groaned.

"We'll leave at 11:30 hours sharp tomorrow. And I'm gonna haul your sorry ass back through the gate if you're not ready to leave at exactly 11:30," Jack bitched at him, then snapped at Sam, "Wipe that grin from your face, Major."

Swallowing and hiding her grin behind her coffee mug, Sam said, "Sorry sir, just kidding."

"I am not," Teal'c said, unimpressed.

Jack stood, stretched his back and glowered at them. "I'll take first watch. Go to bed, kids. And I'll put in fifty against both your bets. Daniel's going home on schedule." Giving another indignant huff, Jack turned and marched off.

"Saaam," Daniel sighed, trying to be mad at her. "I'll never live this down, ever. He'll be extra snarky with me for the next week."

"Just bat your eyelashes and pout and you'll have him eating out of your hand, Daniel," Sam assured him, mild amusement lacing her voice.

"I wish I never told you..."

"Your attraction to Colonel O'Neill is quite obvious. As is his attraction to you, DanielJackson," Teal'c chimed in.

"It is. It... is?"

"Indeed."

"It's why you're always in each others' hair. You compensate your feelings by yelling at each other. Or bickering. Or doing this scary, almost telepathic talking where you're just glaring and then uttering one syllable words like 'what?' or 'Jack' 'Daniel'... You can't admit you like each other so you have to fight." Sam nodded, then looked from Daniel to Teal'c. "Right?"

"Uh..." Daniel said intelligently.

"Indeed."...

...Daniel recalled that night and the next morning when Jack had made a big show of stalking Daniel, glaring at his watch every five minutes, announcing the remaining time, until Daniel had threatened him to read the "chicken scratchings" aloud.

Jack had kept annoying him until Daniel had given him the cold shoulder, working silently for the rest of the morning, making Jack feel uncomfortable and in the end giving him another thirty minutes of reading to make up for being a pain in the ass.

Of course Jack had lost his fifty bucks.

"Did you fall asleep in there?" Jack... O'Neill's... voice drifted to him from the other room.

"Nope. Coming." Daniel dumped the razor on the sink and cleaned his face.

Then he stood in the middle of his quarters, suddenly too aware of the other man's presence. "Do you mind?" he asked more irritated than he meant to. "I'd like to get dressed."

"I don't mind. Go ahead." O'Neill was sitting on Daniel's bed, looking very comfortable.

This man could do the dense act as perfectly as his Jack, Daniel decided. He just wasn't sure why in this case. Surly he didn't want to watch Daniel strip because of... well, because...? "Do you mind waiting outside?"

He watched the general shrug and get off the bed slowly. "Don't dawdle."

"It's not like I'm the honored guest or anything."

"Nope. But the cake is good. Don't wanna miss it."

"You're free to go..."

"Geez... will you chill?" Shaking his head, O'Neill left, closing the door behind him.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel undressed, put on new boxers and slipped into one of his new plaid shirts, a blue pullover and baggy pants. The pants were great for his artificial leg as they were easy to put on. They also originally belonged to the other Daniel, as did the pullover. It had cost him quite an effort to overcome his reluctance to wearing clothes that had been in the other Daniel's closet. But he had lived in his apartment a couple of weeks before his transfer to McMurdo. And even though Daniel had "outgrown" the style of clothing his counterpart wore, he realized that using his things was kind of comfortable. Kind of ... like they were his own. He had felt more at home in the other ones life than in his own new life as Michael Christopher.

On one of his early explorations of the other Daniel's things, he'd found his personal journals, up to the year 2005. Then that Daniel had either stopped writing a journal or they were stored elsewhere. In Cairo maybe. He'd found out the other Daniel had an apartment in Cairo...

...After skirting around those journals, he finally decided his counterpart wouldn't come back to retrieve them and that invading his privacy had already started when he took on this job O'Neill had offered him. So he had skimmed through the journals, picking up some similarities between them. They had the same doctorates, had visited the same college, had both studied and worked under Professor Jordan in Chicago. They shared the same coffee habits, worked through the nights, had preferences for Chinese food, wine... But there were some differences, too. This Daniel had never been married and there were no notes of girls he had dated.

This Daniel had dated guys.

And apparently he hadn't had any problems with his coming out. Daniel found a calendar with dates and names, some club addresses, some phone numbers. He had looked some of the clubs up on the net... Gay clubs. There had been no military regulations holding this Daniel back from living his life the way he'd wanted to.

Lucky guy, Daniel thought, enviously. You probably had no idea how lucky you were.

There was no hint of a relationship in this timeline's Daniel's journals, no sexual innuendos, no notes about any hot encounters. The journals were merely notes about his books in progress and some daily life stuff.

That Daniel had spent a lot of time in libraries, book stores, the campus of Hunter College in NY or Egypt.

In the short time he had lived in the other one's apartment, Daniel had gone to some of those places, always in fear of meeting friends of his counterpart. But at the same time pulled in to those places like a magnet. He was recognized and greeted by others a lot but nobody tried to involve him in any personal conversation...

...So, despite his apparently active sex life, his counterpart had been lonely.

Like Daniel always had been before he had met SG1.

Jack.

Frustrated, he banged the closet door shut.

Why did every train of thought he started lead to Jack? He had himself in check all that time, trying not to dwell, trying to get on with life.

It's all O'Neill's fault, Daniel decided as he yanked the door to his quarters open. If he'd have never showed up again, I wouldn't feel this vulnerable.

O'Neill raised an eyebrow.

Daniel slammed his door shut. "What?"

"I'm hungry."

###

Daniel Jackson, once known as being a "cheaper date than my wife was", had adapted quite nicely over the many years of team nights, hanging out at bars with one Jack O'Neill to drown post bad mission frustrations in beer or w(h)ine and having some encounters with Sam's stock of wine during movie nights at her place.

He never drank much, period. But it didn't take just one beer to make him tipsy anymore. According to Jack... the right one, not the one currently sitting at a table amongst three female officers... according to Jack, Daniel still had been a cheap date. But not THAT cheap.

So Daniel had his third beer and yes, now he was slightly tipsy. But not beyond being reasonable and sober enough to make all the right noises as Robert once again told the tale on how he and Bill found out about the star constellations and how he had accidentally scribbled down the right combination of symbols! "Something like that never happened to me before, Daniel. I was always the one with the short end of the stick. This is like... I'm not sure what it's like, but it's a good feeling."

"It's great, Robert. I'm sure you'll figure out more of these addresses. Maybe it's like a lottery?" Daniel smiled and raised his beer bottle at him.

"I never played lotteries. Maybe I should," Robert beamed, his eyes slightly red rimmed from lack of sleep combined with the alcohol he had already consumed.

"Maybe you should. Will you go through your list of possible combinations to see if you have another hit?" He had placed the Abydos address in there. It had taken some tweaking to get into Robert's files at the computer and put the address in, then to erase the evidence that the file had been changed and saved.

Once more Daniel was sorely reminded how much he missed Sam. She would've tinkered with Robert's file and made sure no trace was left, in no time.

"Yes, I decided to give it a couple more tries. General O'Neill agreed. It's all we have, after all."

"Good idea." Daniel patted the other man's arm, his eyes wandering over to the general's table.

O'Neill and Feretti were there accompanied by three female officers. Daniel had no idea who they were, he only knew they worked on base. They were engaged in some silly conversation and O'Neill was ...

"Bill says there has to be a pattern. Some math. We're trying to figure it out," Robert informed him.

...drawing something? What the heck was he doing? Daniel edged closer to where the general was doodling on a paper, while everyone else at the table was laughing.

"Homer," Feretti said.

"No, that's Bart," one of the women exclaimed.

"Burns?" another one asked.

"Nope, nope and... nope," O'Neill said, doodling some more.

"It's not Marge." Feretti again. "Hey, wait a minute, I know... you simpsonized Siler. Is that his wrench?"

There was some cheering.

"Lou here is getting another beer," O'Neill grinned, waving his sheet of paper around.

One of the female officers went to get the beer.

Daniel zoned out Robert's continuous ramblings and before he knew it, he found himself standing behind the general, gazing over his shoulder at the rather good Simpson cartoon he had drawn of Siler with his wrench.

Jack had been known to doodle during briefings.

Daniel sighed, but couldn't stop watching when a new sheet of paper was pushed at O'Neill with the request of another one. "If Lou figures it out again, I'll accuse him of cheating. He already had four beers," one of the women, a tall red head, said.

"Jack and I go waaay back. I know how his mind works," Lou bragged. "Even if his cartoons are unrecognizable."

"You're full of crap, Feretti." O'Neill snorted as he began to draw again.

Daniel was standing so close, he could see the tufts of silver hair sticking out at the back of Jack's head. He could raise a hand and smooth them down.

Of course he couldn't.

He held on to his beer bottle for dear life.

"Harriman!" Lou yelled. "That's Walter!"

"Get the man another beer," O'Neill said. "He did it again."

Then a hand was on Daniel's shoulder and he was steered towards the food table by Bill Lee, who apparently had chatted up two airmen. "Both singles, good looking, nice," he informed Daniel. "General O'Neill has clearly ordered for everyone to socialize and getting to know each other better. These are Tracy and Ginger."

"Hello, ... hi." Daniel shook hands. "I'm Doctor Jackson. Daniel."

"Are you a scientist too? Like Bill?" Tracy smiled.

"Yes. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Archaeological department and linguistics."

"What do you expect from the program? Will you be assigned to one of the teams that go through the gate?" Ginger asked.

They were both blondes, very attractive. Daniel wondered if he'd ever met them in uniform and just couldn't place them because they were in civvies now, wearing short skirts and tops.

Hair down time.

"Um, no, I have a bit of a disability, so going through the gate won't be an option." He gave them a false huge grin and pointed at his leg.

As usual the conversation was stuck then for a bit until Bill steered it to other topics.

At one point Daniel snuck away from the group to get something to eat. The commissary where the party took place was packed with people. There was a huge food table in one corner of the room. Someone had set up a hi-fi system, playing old R&R songs. Some people were even dancing in the middle of the room, using the little space that was left between the tables.

He told himself he wasn't looking for O'Neill, that his eyes didn't search the room for the tall silver haired man. It was coincidence they wound up at the food table together, each of them holding a plate. O'Neill's was loaded with pie, Daniel's with a blueberry muffin.

"Hey," O'Neill said, giving him the first full-scale smile ever since they met.

He's drunk, Daniel thought, amused. But then he reminded himself that O'Neill probably wasn't nearly as drunk as he wanted people to believe. When on base, he was the general. And while he seemed to enjoy himself, he'd never really let his guard down. It was a Jack thing. "Hey. Having fun?"

"It's a great way to make people more comfortable at a new base. And Rothman is gloating quite nicely."

"He's not used to being successful like that."

"You know him from before." It wasn't a question.

"We were friends."

"Friends as in..."

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "Friends. As in friends. As in colleagues. As in study friends."

"Ah," O'Neill nodded and dug into his pie.

"So..." Daniel desperately tried for small talk. "Is your family anywhere near the base? Or did you leave them in Colorado?" He didn't think McMurdo was a great place to live for a soldier's wife, not to mention a ... Charlie wasn't a kid anymore, he reminded himself. Charlie was a grown man, in his early twenties.

"My kid lives in California," O'Neill said lightly. "Sara... I'm not sure. The last time I heard from her she was in Arizona."

"Wow," Daniel mumbled. "That's... " He's divorced? Even here? But why? What happened? And it's none of my business. Daniel bit his lip and stomped down the irrational feeling of ... relief? Don't go there, don't... go... there.

"A long way from here," O'Neill finished Daniel's sentence, sobering up. "But that's life."

"California is nice," Daniel said. "Always sunny, ocean, beach..."

"He always looks like he's on vacation. Nice tan. He was at college there, met a gal... that kind of stuff."

"That's great."

O'Neill put the half eaten pie down on an empty table. "Yeah."

It didn't sound like he meant it.

Daniel knew better than to prod.

###

Ra was ruling on Abydos no more.

Abydos was, if not free, at least a world that had been ignored by its god for many years.

SG-2, the first contact team, had brought video footage of the village, the pyramid and the cartouche.

Daniel was relieved and worried all the same.

Relieved because finally there was something positive in having the timeline changed.

Worried, because it had been Ba'al who'd taken over Ra's territory.

A young man named Skaara, leader of the village since the death of his father Kasuf, had shown SG-2 around and allowed them free access to the pyramid and the cartouche room. According to Skaara, Ba'al had come to Abydos once to announce the defeat of their god Ra. He had inspected their naquadah mines, the village, and their resources. He had called for all Abydonians to kneel before him. Skaara had still been a very small child then, barely old enough to help his family with chores. His older sister Sha're had taken his hand and led him to the children who were ordered to be in the front rows so they could take a look at their new god.

"We bowed," Skaara said on the videotape Daniel was watching. "Lord Ba'al's first prime... he was a very tall man, his skin like ebony... I was afraid of him because he was like a giant. Lord Ba'al smiled down at us from a pedestal. And I remember thinking his first prime looked more like a god than he did. There was something about that Jaffa, something proud..."

Daniel stopped the tape.

Could it be...?

He scrolled back, listened to it again. Skaara was talking in Abydonian and the linguist who specialized in medieval Egyptian Arabic was heard in the background, giving a poor translation to the leader of SG-2.

Of course Daniel didn't need the translation.

"...There was something about that Jaffa, something proud..."

"Teal'c," Daniel mumbled. But of course there was no way of knowing that. It could just be some other very tall, dark skinned Jaffa.

Skaara was a proud young man as well, wearing his long hair open over his shoulders instead of braided like he did in Daniel's timeline. Daniel recognized the Abydonian robe and attire.

"Lord Ba'al announced that no harm would come upon us if we followed his lead. He used a very strange saying... something about big fish he has to fry. I have never heard such a saying. The meaning of it must be that he has many worlds to rule so he cannot come back often."

The video image of Skaara raised a hand to the cloudless sky. "Ships came and carried away what we brought from the mines. But they stopped coming. They did not return since before I became a man."

"Ba'al had bigger fish to fry," Daniel said, almost amused. "But what is it he's been planning and plotting for so many years? If he just wanted to take over Earth he could've done so a long time ago. Why wait?"

Because he thinks big. If he can take down every system lord and then conquer Earth, he would be the head honcho of all and everyone, he thought. Head honcho? I really spent too much time with Jack.

But despite the pain it brought, the memories of his lover and friend were like a warm hand caressing him. It made him feel better.

Rubbing his eyes he turned the video tape off and rose from his desk chair.

Indulging himself with another mug of freshly brewed coffee from O'Neill's gift, Daniel tried not to think about Sha're and Skaara as his family. They were not. Not here. Just like Jack O'Neill wasn't Daniel's lover and Sam, Teal'c, and Cam weren't his team mates. Just like he had a missing leg.

He wished he could go to Abydos, walk on the sand, enter the cool dark halls of the great pyramid. He remembered the feasts, the long hot days and cold nights, the stories told by the elders, the chores, the hunting... He remembered Sha're's kisses.

He remembered home.

She had been his first real love.

No, Daniel thought with the usual stab of guilt. I've been head over heels for Jack even before I met her. But I'd never even attempted to give it a go. I'd dismissed it as something that wasn't going to happen, ever.

Maybe it hadn't been love back then. Maybe it had been more like a challenge.

But it was true. Jack O'Neill had irked and irritated him from the very first day they had met. And at the same time, the young scholar had found himself mesmerized by the lean built man who had been so bitter and closed in himself that it had been a challenge for Daniel to crack the shell.

What he'd finally unburied had still been an enigma, but once the wall had been torn away, the Jack O'Neill he discovered had turned out to be as hurt and vulnerable as Daniel. He'd just been better at hiding it behind his hard-assed facade.

But there had been no time to deepen that bond between them. They parted as something close to friends when the colonel had left Abydos. The real friendship, the attraction... all that had happened later. After Sha're and Skaara had been taken and Daniel found himself back on Earth with no place to go other than to Jack's place.

Sha're... She'd been soft and pliant, her big brown eyes reaching places in Daniel he hadn't known were there. She had shown him the Abydonian ways. And in the love that had begun blossoming between them, Daniel had said good-bye to Jack O'Neill.

For a while.

It had never felt like second best. Not even now. Like Jack would never have disregarded his marriage to Sara, Daniel would never stop loving Sha're. Never stop grieving for her on some level.

At least the Abydonians here still had a life on the lower plane of existence. At least they were semi free.

At least Jack was alive here.

Greater goods.

Until Ba'al returned.

###

He had to admit, he was a little nervous.

Right. Close to really anxious probably covered it better.

Daniel stuffed his access card back into the chest pocket of his green BDU shirt and pushed the button for level seven. It was funny how he still expected the numbers on the buttons to be nineteen, twenty, twenty one... yes, twenty one. That's where the infirmary had been.

Now it was on seven.

He had been through all the required physical checks before his transfer to McMurdo. Joining the AF meant having medical examinations, getting all kinds of shots and answering all sorts of questions. Even as a civilian. The doctor at the academy hospital had asked a lot about his leg. When did he lose it? How did it happen? What post surgery treatment did he get? Daniel had received a nice package of documents and medical records once he had settled in the other Daniel's apartment. So he was backed up on everything. But he still had been nervous. He'd never been a good liar – unless it came to life threatening situations.

Well, in some ways this was a life threatening situation. If he got caught...

The doctor at the academy hospital had been satisfied with everything Daniel gave him, made his dots at all the right places and Daniel had felt like he'd passed an exam when he'd left to pack his things for Antarctica.

Now the permanent CMO had arrived at the SGC and demanded all personnel check in for a physical

There was no way around it so he had to go through it.

Level seven held the infirmary and science bio labs. Everything was less big here than it had been at the mountain, but the equipment was new and up to date and only the most outstanding scientists and doctors were selected to work here.

Daniel peered into the main examination room, seeing lots of familiar beds and examination tables.

Just like home. Only that he hopefully wouldn't spend as much time here as he did at the mountain's infirmary.

A nurse who was reading a chart looked up and gave him a bright smile. "Doctor Jackson?"

"Yes. I'm next in line."

"You sure are. Doctor Fraiser is waiting for you in her office. She wants to talk to everyone before their... are you all right, Doctor?"

"What? Yes, yes, I'm... um... fine. I'll just..." He pointed backwards and stumbled out of the room.

"Second door on the right. Are you sure you're okay? You just turned very pale there for a..."

"Fine," Daniel said, giving the nurse a final wave. He fled down the corridor, stopped at the right door and leaned against the opposite wall. Just for a moment. Just to gather his wits.

Then he knocked.

And when he entered, he wasn't prepared at all.

"Doctor Jackson?" She smiled and stood, extending her hand over her desk.

"Yes. Err... Hi. Hello. Doctor Fraiser," he spluttered, taking her much smaller hand in his, holding it just a moment too long.

Warm, alive.

He hadn't been prepared for this. He hadn't paid attention to who the new CMO was. He made a mental note to listen more carefully to base gossip in the future.

Gently, she tugged her hand out of his, but the smile stayed. Professional but warm, her brown eyes twinkling. "I read your book."

"You ... you did? Did you like it?" He sat, his leg – the good one – feeling like Jell-o.

And he wanted to laugh and to hug her and tell her how they all missed her and how the SGC hadn't been the same without her. How the infirmary had been a colder place. How Sam had been so devastated over losing her best friend. Wanted to tell her that Cassie was doing okay now with their support... had been doing okay...

"As a matter of fact, I did. And now look at it. Turned out you weren't so wrong after all," she said and for a moment he didn't know what she was talking about.

Oh, his book. Right. The book he hadn't written. "Yes, ironic, isn't it?"

"Life has its quirks. It's nice meeting you in person, Doctor."

"Daniel," he insisted, hoping it wasn't too soon. Too personal.

But she nodded, not in the least offended or irritated. "Daniel... How did you settle in?"

They talked about his leg then, his medical history, how he coped... Daniel answered all her questions, remembering the right things to say and not to call her Janet.

That was the hardest part.

When they were done and Daniel had once more passed the physical check, he almost reached for her hand again. "It's great having you here, Doctor Fraiser."

"Yes. I'm sure this is going to be the most thrilling assignment I ever had," she replied.

You have no idea how thrilling, Daniel thought as he walked out.

For the rest of the day he felt like smiling.

###

Daniel stared at the hut, nothing more than a metallic ... well, box... in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by ice, ice and... well, ice.

I can't believe I agreed to this. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"It's fun," O'Neill said, a shit eating grin on his face, half hidden by his thick scarf.

"Yours and my understanding of fun definitely don't match." Never did, now that I think of it.

"Suck it up, Geekboy. It's the only way to talk right now. We can't keep visiting each other in our quarters or offices all the time. People are gonna talk."

"But we can go fishing together? Alone. Out here. That's okay, apparently?"

"I'm officially alone out here. You have a day of leave, so you left. You did tell your friends you went to McMurdo, right?"

"Yeah," he sighed. And wished he really had. Gone to McMurdo that is.

They had taken two snowmobiles and met out here. Daniel had followed O'Neill's directions easily and found the older man waiting for him. O'Neill had brought all the gear and was now opening the ice hut with a key. "There're several of these huts around McMurdo," he explained as they entered. "Sometimes they get moved so they won't sink into the ice and freeze in there."

"I know. I spent some time with the marine scientists when they caught fish to examine and study," Daniel admitted.

"So you've done it before? Why didn't you say so?"

Pulling the door close behind himself Daniel grimaced. "I didn't really enjoy it. And besides, they didn't fish for sports. They fished for science."

"I fish for relaxation," O'Neill shrugged. "Come on. There should already be a hole. It comes with renting these huts. They prepare it for you so you won't have to drag the heavy equipment out here with you."

The ice hut wasn't overly comfortable, but the general switched on the heater and there was a cushion covered bench in it and a stove. Daniel watched O'Neill unpacking a thermos, two cups, a six pack of beer - which he placed on a table close to the heater so it wouldn't freeze to ice – and the fishing gear.

He also noticed a four foot square hole in the ground and beneath it was another hole in the ice but the opening had already frozen over again. The general handed Daniel a stick and together they chipped away the layer of ice.

At least he became warm due to the work. Soon they pushed down their hoods and loosened their scarves a bit.

Gazing into the chipped hole, Daniel estimated the thickness of the ice as about ten feet. The hole was as big as the opening in the ground and he wondered what kind of drill had been used to make that kind of hole.

O'Neill handed him a small, light fishing rod. The lures were brightly colored to bait the fish. "You ever been fishing? Aside from here?"

"Yes. In Minnesota," Daniel said absently as he prepared his lure to the line.

When there was no reply, he looked up, to find brown eyes gazing at him thoughtfully.

"I had a friend who was into fishing. I learned how to do it, but I'm not really into it," he said, nervous all of a sudden, almost sticking his finger with the hook.

"Minnesota, eh?" O'Neill already had his line into the hole, sitting back comfortably on the bench. He had opened his thick jacket a little and put down the scarf. The small room was heating up nicely now.

"Yeah." Daniel wasn't sure why they tap danced around this, so he shrugged. "Told you that Jack O'Neill in my timeline was a close friend of mine."

"I didn't believe you," O'Neill said quietly, staring down at the hole in the ice.

"I got that. What I don't get is; why didn't you believe me. It's not like I grew two heads or something... "

O'Neill snorted. "You kept spouting all that weird crap about me. First you were right about where I came from, then you said my kid was dead. Besides, I never went to other planets, neither with nor without you."

"Okay, I can see how that was a little disconcerting."

"Ya think?"

"I'm glad Charlie's not dead, here," Daniel said gently, after a moment of silence. "You don't see each other often though, do you?"

"He has his life to live, I have mine. I've worked all over the country, sometimes not even in the country, for years. It's not healthy for family life."

"I'm sorry."

O'Neill didn't answer, his eyes were fixed on the ground. Finally he asked, "You want coffee? I brought a thermos. It's too early for beer."

Daniel handed him his rod to hold and stood to retrieve the thermos. As the room was so small he didn't have to struggle too much with his leg. He just turned, made the two steps over to the table, filled two mugs and returned to their bench.

"You're coping pretty well with that," O'Neill said out of the blue, nodding at Daniel's legs.

"I'm kind of a survivalist."

"All that planet hopping..."

"Let's just say I'm used to being kicked around by life in general." It wasn't bitter statement, merely a fact. "So I cope with what I have to."

"That bad, huh?"

"No. Not always that bad. It's hard to explain. I've... I've seen and done the most amazing things in my time. I've also seen and done and been exposed to some things I never want to go through again. But going through the gate, visiting other worlds, learning about new cultures... or seeing some Earth cultures develop on different worlds... that's something I wouldn't want to miss for anything." He wanted to tell him about Oma, about ascension, about the wonders and the threats. The good and evil. But he didn't think this O'Neill was there yet. This O'Neill had never been through that gate. He'd been stuck at his desk right from the beginning of this job. And Daniel had to be careful about how much he could reveal without overwhelming the man.

Like everyone on SG1, his Jack had been shaped by the experiences they'd made out there, was affected by it no matter how strongly he might have denied it. Going through the gate had widened their horizons in a way nothing else ever could have. But his Jack had time to get used to it, had time to adjust to the cultural shocks, the glowy things and the thingamajigs... all in Jack's own words.

Daniel would have to take this one step at the time. He was sure that no Jack O'Neill would react well to outside pressure and that it was an O'Neill thing to get cranky when pushed somewhere he didn't want to go. Oh yeah, and he tended to zone people out and get this blank expression on his face when he was being rambled at...

But to Daniel's surprise, O'Neill said, "Tell me about it. Tell me where we should go next... tell me what's out there. Aside from Goa'uld, aside from threats. What good is out there?"

"If you're asking for big honkin' space guns..."

"That'd be cool. And I need to know about that, too. But what I'm asking here is; what did you find? What would the other Daniel have found there if he'd been able to go? What great things he'd like to remember..." O'Neill's voice trailed off.

It was then that Daniel had an epiphany.

"The Nox," he replied gently. "He would've loved the Nox. I did. We all did. They are gentle, peaceful people. Meeting them was such a ... gift. Such a change from what we've encountered before. There was peace there, nature, yet highly intelligent, spirited people. We could learn a lot from them... " Daniel talked about the Nox, not looking at his companion, but out of the small window on the opposite wall. The sun had wandered, the blue sky and the white snow glittering as if someone had thrown handfuls of diamonds out there which were sparkling in the sun.

And O'Neill listened, for once not interrupting or faking boredom.

When he was done, the general said, "Tell me more. What's that alliance between the Asgard, the Nox, the Furlings and those Ancients?"

So Daniel talked about Ernest's planet, Heliopolis, the meeting place...

"Later you met the Asgard," he closed. "You were the first one... our Jack... was the first one to meet them."

"Whoa. I... he did?"

"Yes. And I think you should be the first one to meet them here, too. I believe it's important to let some things evolve exactly the way they did in our timeline."

"We'll see."

Daniel then caught a fish and for a moment they were distracted by pulling it out. It was a Greenland cod, and according to O'Neill way too small to be called a real fish. So they freed it from the lure and released it. After that, Daniel had another coffee and O'Neill opened one of the beers.

It took him almost an hour to ask the question. "How well did you know the other Daniel?"

"Didn't know him."

"I think you did."

"Nope."

They were back to gazing into the ice hole, the water seemed to be black and just looking at it made Daniel feel cold. He took a quick glance at the general who fiddled with his line, but sat completely still otherwise.

"Look, Jack... It was just a hunch, but the things you know... the coffee he liked,... you told me to wear a plaid shirt when we met for the job interview. You had his keys, his wallet..."

"In exchange for yours. I've been following orders..."

"How classified is the fact that I'm working at Stargate command really? Not that "he" is working here. But that "I" am working here in his place. Who else knows?" He knew he'd be rejected again. He hadn't gotten an answer to the same question before. But he couldn't stop asking anyway.

Pushing it was probably the wrong thing to do. But he had to know.

"I think we better get back to base. You go first, I'll wait another hour or so, then head out, too."

Yep, pushing was definitely wrong.

He sighed. "Jack..."

"They forecast ice fog this afternoon."

"... I need to know. Otherwise I might end up assuming you... as in someone from the Air Force... killed him in order to get me on the program."

"What the hell are you saying?" Now there was anger, still suppressed but definitely there, showing in the way his voice became deadly quiet and his eyes darkened.

"It'd make sense wouldn't it? Your people killed him, then made sure you go to the hospital to identify him and take his personal things so you could contact me and get me right where you wanted me... "

"You're nuts."

"I've seen a lot of crazy things happen in order to keep the Stargate a secret or to maintain national security," Daniel said coldly. "Weird is just the tip of the iceberg of what I'm used to."

"I don't give a rat's ass about what you're used to. I didn't kill Daniel. And no one else I work for did," O'Neill snapped. "Now get the fuck outta here."

"Someone did kill him."

"Yes. And ain't it brave of you to come out here with me, all alone, confronting me about a murder you think I might have my hands in. Kind of reckless, isn't it?"

"Now that you mention it. Yeah, it's kinda... stupid. Are you going to drown me in the ice hole? Or shoot me?"

"There're a dozen ways of killing you and hiding your body where nobody will find it."

"I know. Special Ops and all that," Daniel said lightly.

They glared at each other for a moment longer before O'Neill shook his head. "You're nuts. Wacko. Three fries short of a happy meal. I should've known."

A mobile phone beeped.

Daniel watched O'Neill answering it, saying he'd be right back on base, and knew he wouldn't get his answers.

Not today.

###

The Land of the Light was too dangerous.

Simarka, the planet of the Shavadai was too primitive and didn't hold anything valuable.

P3X-562's only inhabitants were blue crystal thingies.

"Next on the list is Chulak," O'Neill said. "We'll go there."

"Fine." Daniel continued lifting his dumbbells, trying to steer his anger into his arms and hands. He knew he was lifting the weights too fast, too hard. He'd have muscle spasms tomorrow. He didn't care.

He wished he could run on the treadmill. Really RUN. On two healthy legs. Run until all the rage was gone, poured out of him with the sweat and ragged breaths.

Next to him the general worked out at a weight bench. He was on his back, pumping iron, his gray shirt showing damp patches of sweat. "Stop sulking."

"I beg your pardon?" Daniel gripped his weight harder, resisting the urge to throw it across the room.

"You heard me." O'Neill didn't even pant yet, his voice still steady and calm. Daniel didn't know how much weight he had on there, but when he glanced at the general he could see the play of his arm muscles and the perspiration on his forehead.

"I've given you a rundown of every gate address from the Cartouche you attempted to go and every single one was deleted from the list," he snapped.

"Not the first one we went to. We started building our alpha site there, remember?"

Well, Daniel had to admit that building an alpha site on that uninhabited planet had been a good idea on O'Neill's part. And yeah, Daniel had served as an adviser on that project. Teams were building the alpha site at this very moment. Labs, military base, houses, an underground facility... Heavy equipment went through the gate and thirteen teams of scientists and military personnel had been assigned to the new alpha site.

But they had other things to worry about as well...

"Every planet you told us about held potential dangers and issues. I'm not going to send my teams out there to get infected with a virus that might lead to base lockdown, talk to crystals or get in the middle of Mongolian family fights."

"There are people out there who need our help. We'd make a difference. It's part of going through that gate. Collecting experiences, meeting people. Even allies who haven't the know-how or technology to help us against the Goa'uld are valuable. They can give us shelter or trade materials in case we ever have to evacuate..."

"Do you really think we have the time to get used to what's out there? You're the one who keeps reminding us Boccie guy is probably plotting the end of our existence."

"If we don't go out there we won't even find out what's going on. If we don't explore and interact, we won't gather intel on where Ba'al might be and what his role amongst the system lords is." Daniel put down his dumbbell and wiped a towel over his face.

"And if we gallop all over the galaxy, Boccie will know eventually we're there. What then?"

"There's no other choice!"

"Yes,... there... is." O'Neill groaned as he pushed up his weight again. "Give me all the important ones. Chulak. So we know what your Jaffa friend is doing. Then the Asgard home world."

"Can't give you the Asgard home world address."

"Why not?" With a loud bang, O'Neill's weight came down on the frame and the older man sat up, scrubbing a hand through his ruffled hair. "Can't or won't?"

Daniel heaved himself from his chair and walked over to the weight machine next to Jacks. Once he had arranged his legs, and adjusted the weight, he slowly started pushing. "Your gate isn't capable of going that far. You need an additional power source to make it work. The Asgard home world is in another galaxy and therefore needs eight symbols. Besides it's not on the Abydos cartouche so I can't just pull it out of my head."

"Where'd you get it?"

"That's a long story."

Daniel concentrated on his exercising, breathing deeply, push, breathe, push, breathe, push... He felt his arms tense up and relax, felt the irritation slowly leave him. Running would still be so much better. But then, it was a human characteristic to always crave what was impossible. He felt sweat trickle down his neck, but he kept going and going, push, breathe, push...

"Daniel?" The voice was gentle, almost apologizing.

Daniel? Wow. That's a first. He stopped pushing... only breathing now, hard and heavy... oh he might have gotten carried away a bit...

"I know how hard it is for you."

He looked up finally, chest heaving. "Wha...?"

"Not being able to go. Hell, I'm sitting behind that desk and I'd happily go down to the rank of colonel again if it meant I could go through that gate. That other me was a lucky bastard."

"He wasn't always that lucky," Daniel muttered. "He got shot a lot. And bruised. And he took a lot of risks because he listened to me."

"Had him wrapped right around your little finger, did ya?" He could hear the humor in O'Neill's voice and for some reason it made him mad again.

"You have no idea how it was between us. And you have no right to belittle it...

"He just knew when he needed to trust me. But that's not the point. Jack was as thick headed and stubborn as you are. He could be a son of a bitch on any good day. But when it counted he was there and he was always there one hundred percent." Rising from the bench, Daniel was about to leave the gym when the foot of his prosthesis got caught behind the leg attachment of the bench.

Staggering forward he was barely aware of O'Neill's arm shooting out from the right. A hand wrapped around Daniel's biceps, steadying him. They bumped into each other and then O'Neill's other arm was around his shoulders, holding him upright.

Carefully maneuvering his leg out from the tight spot, Daniel leaned against the solid warm body supporting his weight for a moment. "Shit... that was close."

Falling over gym machines really wasn't an experience he needed. He fell before. Trying to get up from the floor with only one leg wasn't a piece of cake.

"Easy big guy. You okay?"

"Fine." He was released with a pat on his back. "Uh, thanks."

"Better put off the leg attachment from the bench next time."

"Yeah." Grimacing at his clumsiness Daniel made sure his prosthesis was still properly attached. When he looked up, O'Neill was watching him with pursed lips.

"You ever tried using a J-leg?"

"I've heard of it, but it wasn't recommended by my doctors." Daniel accepted the bottle of water O'Neill was handing him and took a sip.

"There's that guy. Lost his leg in a freak accident. He designed his own leg and apparently never had trouble with it. He's selling it to sportsmen and it seems to be a big success." After a pause he added. "It doesn't look as great as yours but it's cool for walking in difficult terrain. It's not very expensive either."

"Yeah?" Daniel looked down at his leg, metal covered with silicon skin. "I don't really have trouble with this one, though." He gave the bottle back to the general who gazed at it, then shrugged and drank from it. "Is it good for walking in deep sand?"

Like in the deserts of Egypt...

"Yeah. Think so. Has a spring which makes it a little bouncy."

"I'll look into it."

Later in the afternoon Daniel was in his office, working, when Robert burst in. "I'm going to leave for a mission."

"Good for you." Daniel smiled despite the tinge of jealousy.

Rothman was now head of the archaeological department while Daniel had taken over linguistics. They exchanged information about everything, developing a smooth and efficient work relationship. Robert even went through the gate on occasions. But he'd probably never become a regular member of any team. He was most content with staying on base and studying whatever they brought home for him.

The civilian consultants accompanying the SG teams into the field were mostly archaeologists and anthropologists with lots of field experience from dig sites and some of the other scientists were military trained, like Sam had been.

"The general authorized a mission to ..." Robert pushed up his glasses and looked at a post-it note in his hand. "Simarka. We sent a MALP and it looks like a planet with rolling hills, grassy plains, and forests. Not good for my allergies, I suspect. But I'll join SG4 for this... I need you to go over and help Bill Lee with a project... I need to pack..." Robert turned to leave again, almost knocking a shelf over in the process. "Oh, uh, sorry. See you when I'm back."

Daniel smiled.

###

"They ... what?" Daniel realized his mouth was hanging open, but he was too stunned to shut it. Guppy expression, Jack had called it.

"You look like a fish outta water," O'Neill grouched.

Daniel closed his mouth with a snap.

"You heard me. What do you make of it?" The general gazed at him over the rim of his coffee mug.

It was late. Or early, depending on how you looked at it. The commissary was empty except of the two of them sitting at a table in the back of the room.

"He's a lying bastard," Daniel hissed. He hadn't heard about the Chulak mission until now. When SG-2 came back they went to their debrief with O'Neill and Daniel had waited all afternoon and evening for him to show up and brief him in private as he used to do lately.

"Those people from Chulak don't seem to share your opinion."

"Yeah, but... he is! That's just..."

"Apparently Ba'al offered them all freedom. Your buddy Teal'c leads the..." O'Neill made air quotes with his fingers, "...United Army of System Lords. He's a hero on his planet. His people say he'll be the leader of the first generation of free Jaffa. And Lord Ba'al makes this possible."

"Stupid," Daniel ground out.

"They said once Ba'al is all powerful and has defeated all the other system lords, he will support the Jaffa to rise and gain power. They say he's the one true god."

"This is a nightmare," Daniel groaned. At least now they knew what Ba'al had been up to. Building an empire even more powerful than Anubis's. Why go for one victory when you could have the whole universe?

"It's a mess."

"We need to go to Taonas."

O'Neill didn't say anything. He flicked an imaginary hair from his cold coffee.

Jack had always done that...

Daniel licked his lips and tried not to fidget. "If the people on Chulak serve Ba'al it's only a matter of time until he knows we unburied our gate. He won't sit back and watch us gathering allies and power again. Not if he is still following his plan."

"Making sure we're defenseless and bringing in a whole army to kick our asses," O'Neill bottom lined it, face grim.

"And if Ba'al happens to be the most powerful system lord... if he has all the other Goa'uld and their Jaffa in his back, his army will be more powerful than anything we encountered so far. Even in my timeline."

O'Neill wagged his eyebrows. "Any cool ideas?"

"The Asgard."

"Little gray fellas you told me about?"

"Yes."

O'Neill grimaced. "Where do we find those Asgard if we can't dial their planet?"

Daniel sighed. Pushing up his glasses, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I guess things start rolling now... Remember your thingamajig gene?"

"Oy."

"Ye-ah. Pretty much. Put P3R-272 on the mission schedule next."


	2. Forks in the Road

**Forks in the Road **

The Ancients are 'the teachers of roads'. See, the Romans were the first real road builders. They spoke Latin and learned to build roads from the gods, known as the Ancient ones. Meaning, in this case, the Ancient was the race that built the network of Stargates. The Goa'uld only took it over from them. As they tend to do with everything they consider worthy of stealing." Daniel paused and looked at the three people sitting at the briefing room table.

_First Janet, now General Hammond_, he thought. Not bad. Only that General Hammond hadn't been dead in his timeline. It was still comforting to have him here. And being in on the big secret.

He wasn't so sure about Woolsey though.

"Go on, Doctor Jackson," Hammond prompted.

"Sorry, err... P3R-272 is the location of one of the "Places of our legacy" - a repository of the Ancients. To pass on their knowledge. In order to gain this knowledge, General O'Neill will have to download the database of the original gate builders into his brain."

"Why General O'Neill?" Woolsey was all suspicion, his face one deep frown. He looked like a Hush Puppy with all those creases. As far as Daniel knew, the man didn't trust anybody about anything. "I know you explained about this Ancient gene. But General O'Neill doesn't look like he has any powers he could save us with."

"He'll be the only one who is able to use the device because of that gene," Daniel repeated. "It'll recognize his DNA..." He paused, wondering if the truth would lead to any more delays for this mission. "It'll recognize him as one of their own," he finished, opting for keeping quiet about the other possibility.

"Don't forget to mention the part where I start doing weird things, building doohickeys..." O'Neill groused.

Daniel had explained it all to him last night in the commissary and O'Neill had stared at him and said it was time to call in the cavalry. Apparently the cavalry was Hammond. And... Woolsey.

"I'm coming to that. Um, the danger for the general lies in the magnitude of the downloaded data. We have to act fast when he's back. I'll be the only one able to communicate with him once he has come that far. I won't underestimate the danger of this, but I think it's your opportunity to contact the Asgard. I could do it, if I had the technology here, but I don't. There's no way to contact them over a distance like that. We also need General O'Neill to build the additional power source to be able to make the gate reach the destination. So this is your best shot."

Hammond turned to look at O'Neill. "Nobody can order you to do this, Jack."

"I'm not sure we should let him." Woolsey began. Droplets of sweat appeared on his head. "This is against..."

"I'll do it. If you take over for me here until I'm... back and running again, sir?"

"I will. Your 2IC...?" Hammond began.

"Is informed about the temporary change of command. He'll now be your second."

"Any problems I should know of?"

"None, sir. Everything's running quite smoothly."

"Very well. Doctor Jackson... I have every confidence in you to handle this. Is there anything else we need to hold in consideration? "

"Only that it would be wise to give General O'Neill free hand in whatever he wants to do while he's acting under the influence of the alien knowledge." Daniel searched Woolsey's eyes. "I assure you being compromised isn't an issue. And I'm... very grateful for all of your trust in this matter."

"It was General O'Neill who convinced us to contact you after our Doctor Jackson wasn't available anymore," Woolsey said tightly. "But I must stress my responsibility is for the security of this country. If this backfires, I have to inform the President of who you really are. And as I already made it perfectly clear to General O'Neill... no one is going to support you then. This whole farce has already gotten out of hand."

"I'm aware of that."

"Let's hope for the best. We're all in the same position here, Mister Woolsey. If this ship sinks we'll all be in a snit. So this better work." Hammond turned to O'Neill. "How will you proceed?"

"I'll go with SG-2. Inform them I want to take a ride to know what it's like. Simple recon. I'll stick my head into that thing and presto... they'll haul me back through the gate. Doctor Jackson takes over from there. But if anything goes wrong - if Ba'al shows up before we're back..."

"We will evacuate," Hammond nodded. Apparently this was something they had talked about prior to the briefing. "We have the lists ready. Ever since SG-1 showed up we were preparing for the worst case scenario." He turned to Daniel. "The alpha site project was your contribution to make evacuation possible. We owe you gratitude for that, Doctor Jackson. We always took the threat you pointed out to us seriously. Never doubt that."

Once Hammond and Woolsey had left the briefing room Daniel gathered his papers and stood, carefully moving his artificial leg around the chair. "How does Woolsey play into all this?"

O'Neill stood behind his chair, elbows on the backrest. "He's a lawyer who works for Vice President Kinsey..."

Daniel snorted.

"...yeah, I don't like him much either. And that's putting it mildly. Anyway, Woolsey officially works for Kinsey. He's supposed to be the link between the military and the civilian organization watching our backs."

"The NID."

"You had them, too?"

"Oh, yes."

"He's a desk pilot and narrow-minded about many things. But he's a pretty decent guy. When I approached Hammond after Daniel's death, we knew we needed someone from their side to support us. So Hammond brought Woolsey in. All your ersatz papers are legalized by him. We convinced him you're our best chance to be successful in defending the planet, when Boccie shows up. Carter was dead, Mitchell has no background whatsoever..."

"You could've made it up," Daniel interrupted. "Mitchell would've been very valuable..."

"But you were the guy with the brains to pull this off. Mitchell's a jock like me. He might be a good guy and all that, but you were the one we wanted. Plus, it'd be hard to get Mitchell in without someone noticing. You on the other hand... no one who didn't know Daniel very well can tell you apart from him." O'Neill's voice dropped at the last sentence and he swiftly turned away, striding into his office.

Slowly Daniel walked down the corridor to the elevator, wondering if he was making the right choices. He was aware of the multitude of consequences every decision he made could have on the timeline, on the universe...

He wished Sam was here to help him with some of his questions. How much of what he could do was too much? And on the other hand, did they have enough time to consider the fallout of pushing things too fast? But since they couldn't fix the timeline itself, preparing for a battle with Ba'al was their next best chance.

_I could solve this a lot faster_, he thought. _I could download the repository into me. I'm sure it'd link with my memories of ascension and Merlin's repository. I could go through the gate to the Asgard then, ask for a ship, go to Taonas... _

Daniel stopped at the elevator, swiping his access card through the slot, his thoughts still racing. If he could convince O'Neill to let him go to '272...

_... but Merlin's repository had been altered, modified. So I can't be sure this old Ancient repository on '272 will accept my brain patterns. _

And again the question if pushing things too fast would lead to Daniel being arrested or worse. The people he worked with now were the people he had known for a long time in his own reality. Yet, they weren't HIS people. Overwhelming Hammond and O'Neill with explanations about the Others, the Ori, ascension, Merlin... might not have the desired effect.

_And oh yeah, I've been on the higher plane of existence ... almost twice and once I've been an Ori prior, but since I'd downloaded Merlin's consciousness into my brain it didn't really affect me. And yes, Merlin had been an Ancient, too. As was Morgan LeFay. We're all a happy glowing family up there... Oh, they'll buy that. Great. Will put me right back into MacKenzie's white padded cell. _

It was frustrating. Daniel KNEW he had the knowledge buried somewhere in his mind. Everything in that repository – and the other one they found years later – was in his brain. But while some of his memories from being ascended had surfaced over time, the vast majority of the sheer knowledge of the Ancients was still buried under a ton of bricks, and would probably stay there until something triggered it to surface again.

###

"What do you mean it won't open?" Daniel blinked.

Walter cringed as if it was his fault the gate wouldn't connect. "I'm sorry, Doctor Jackson. General... chevron seven won't lock."

"Are you sure you dialed the right address? I mean... no offense but..." Daniel gazed over Walter's shoulder at the DHD, the symbols were still glowing. "You did. Sorry. I was just...It should be there."

"Unless someone was there first and blew it up," O'Neill said helpfully.

They looked at each other over Walter's head. O'Neill raised an eyebrow, Daniel wrinkled his in return.

Ba'al.

"This is bad," Daniel stated.

"Ya think?"

"I assume we should return to the briefing table," General Hammond said. "Mister Woolsey has already left to catch his flight from McMurdo, I'm afraid."

"Ba'al knows everything I do. Well, not everything, but he knows how things evolved in our timeline and probably did lots of research and observing." Daniel didn't go into the whole clone thing. But he added, "He can't be underestimated. He's very intelligent and, unlike his fellow system lords, is able to think outside the box. He might actually have destroyed or disabled several worlds we encountered just to make sure we won't get a foot in the door even IF we open the gate."

"How could Ba'al gather that much intel?" Hammond required.

"It comes with the knowledge of what we... the SGC in my timeline... have done to eliminate so many of the system lords over the years. He might have retraced some of our steps, found some of our allies... that kind of thing." Daniel shrugged. "There's no way of knowing if it was really Ba'al who destroyed '272 though. Maybe the gate is damaged or there was a natural cause destroying the planet, like a nova or a black hole. We actually never found a way to the surface or could determine whether or not the planet was stable."

"But you don't believe that," O'Neill said.

"No. No, not really. It'd be some odd coincidence."

"Right. Let's not dwell then. Any other suggestions?"

Daniel almost smiled. Maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe this Jack could take whatever was thrown at him in spades, just like his own had. No matter how weird, no matter how much it'd piss him off. He looked at it, assessed it, dealt with it. And relied on his people to come up with anything he couldn't think of.

"There's one. We can try dialing Cimmeria. But the address isn't on the cartouche. Teal'c provided us with the coordinates when we searched for a device called Thor's Hammer. Thor is an Asgard, as you may remember from the reports of our interrogations... " Hammond nodded and Daniel went on, "We found Thor's Hammer on Cimmeria. It's a device that kills the Goa'uld, but allows the host to live."

"How can this hammer help us against Ba'al? We don't even know where he is, not to mention a way of capturing him and using this hammer on him," Hammond asked.

"No, we can't. But there's also a place called "Thor's Hall of Might" on Cimmeria. It's meant for the natives to contact Thor and the Asgard once they're advanced enough to learn the truth about their gods. One has to prove himself worthy to be able to talk to the real Thor. But this could be our only chance left to talk to him and get them to help us."

"Sooo...," O'Neill drawled. "What about the Tok'ra? They might help with a little less... hassle to go through?"

"I don't think so, no." Daniel sighed. "The Tok'ra are, even though they're not Goa'uld, a little... difficult. They're also hiding from the Goa'uld and it's hard to get a hold on them. We actually met them by accident."

"Right. So I'll go to Cimmeria then. Anything I should know about? What proof do they want so I can talk to that Thor pal?"

"Just take me with you."

"You know I can't."

"You have to."

"Why?"

Daniel resisted the urge to throw up his arms and wave them in front of O'Neill's face. But he felt like doing the plant boy dance. Sometimes working with Jack... any Jack as he found out... was like pulling teeth. "Why? WHY? Because I was there and know the location of Thor's Hall? Because I know what tests to go through and HOW to go through them? Because I can talk to him and explain everything... because you need me? Are those enough reasons?"

"Just tell me what to do."

"I can't! I can't just ... Jack, this might be our only shot to make this work. If Thor refuses to help us, we have to start from scratch."

"You mean I'll screw this up. And you won't."

"Well, your diplomatic skills are somewhat..., " Daniel winced. "...bad."

"There must be other allies...," Hammond began.

"_Bad_?" Jack mouthed, his eyebrows almost reaching his hairline in a comical indignant gesture.

"No! The Asgard are most likely the ones who MIGHT help us. The Tollans won't even consider it. The Tok'ra are out of reach. The Nox won't interfere and it'll take too long to convince them to do something."

"Some allies you had there," the general muttered.

"It's kind of complicated," Daniel admitted. He turned to Hammond. "I need to go with him, sir."

"Doctor Jackson, I'm not sure I can authorize it. You are not supposed to go through the gate. First your disability won't allow it and secondly, what gives me the guarantee you won't abandon General O'Neill on that planet and escape to try and fix your timeline?" Hammond didn't sound final or angered, more like curious.

"There's no guarantee for that," Daniel admitted. "I can only give you my word."

"Give me reasons, son."

"For one I know the Asgard. Granted, they don't know me – yet. But I know how to talk to them, how to make them listen. I... I probably can explain the situation best. We need their help to reach Taonas. If they refuse to come forth for us..."

"Are you sure you can handle the transfer with your leg?"

"Yes, sir." _Nope, not at all. But hey, what's a little bruising?_

On the bright side he had received his J-leg. Which actually had been a great idea. Janet had ordered him to take PT to get used to it and Daniel had found the new leg surprisingly comfortable. It was light-weight and the spring gave him more mobility than the old prosthesis had. He had adjusted to it pretty fast. He didn't even use his cane much anymore. The J-leg took care of a lot of problems and Daniel was glad Jack had pointed it out to him.

"How do we explain the address if it's not in the cartouche?" Hammond asked finally.

"We don't."

Daniel knew that tone of voice. Jack had come to a decision and would stick to it. "Jack..."

"Daniel... "

He had to bite his lip not to reply with another 'Jack'... how easy it was to fall back into the old patterns. Yet, it felt odd to call this O'Neill Jack again. While at the same time it really didn't. On the other hand...

"We don't explain it at all." O'Neill... Jack... said. "McKay, watchdog of his beloved DHD and every address we're dialing, will be on leave from tomorrow onwards. Walter has a free weekend coming up and the guy who's covering for him at the DHD controls will follow orders without questioning them. We'll make this a covert ops, nobody's gonna question us. Especially with you being here backing us up, General Hammond."

Daniel blinked. "I didn't know McKay was going on leave."

"He doesn't know either, yet. But I'm sure he'll love getting outta here for a while, visiting his sister, going back to civilization as he calls it." Jack smirked. "You have some packing to do."

"I do?" He glanced at Hammond then, just to make sure.

Hammond stood and rushed out, muttering, "God help us all."

###

And then they were standing in the gate room, Daniel wearing field BDUs for the first time in... well, for the first time since the wormhole spat him out on the sunken frozen Achilles.

He didn't have time to wallow in the feeling though. He felt a tug at the straps of his backpack. Turning his head, he found Jack checking his gear. "Uh, Jack? I've done this before, you know?" He couldn't hide his amusement, but bit back the grin when brown eyes glared at him somewhat... protectively.

"You're outta practice for a while. Have everything?"

"Yes, sir," he mocked good naturedly.

"This isn't funny," Jack snapped. "You sure you know where this Hall of Fight is?"

"Hall of Might. And yes, I'm sure," he sobered up and let Jack fiddle some more until he was apparently satisfied with Daniel's gear.

"Okay." Jack stood back, cradling his P90 in his arm. "Let's move out."

They walked up the ramp and Daniel tried not to look at the figure next to him. Tried not to be overwhelmed by memories and _... _

_...all that blood under Jack's head and shoulder... Daniel had sat there, next to him, thinking it was just another hit, just another injury they would deal with, just another mission gone wrong... while his eyes were fixed on Jack's face as he told them to go... to go... and leave him... _

... Daniel shook his head, forcing the mental picture of Jack dying away. He had long ago learned the only way to stay sane was to remember the good things, everything but this. It didn't always work.

General Hammond's voice came over the speaker. "God Speed."

Jack put a tentative hand into the vortex, his eyes widening slightly as he caused the event horizon to ripple. "Whoa."

"It's a piece of cake," Daniel smiled, realizing that this was Jack's first trip through the gate.

"Ah. Figured that."

The wormhole swallowed them.

###

And threw them out on the other side.

Daniel felt the world go upside down as he was flying... and then it crashed back in place as he crash-landed on stone steps, rolling over and down until he came to a stop on rubble and dirt, letting out a loud. "Omph...!"

"Holy crap," Jack cursed next to him.

There was a nasty pain shooting up his stump as the socket of the prosthesis pressed hard into sensitive skin, causing Daniel to bite his lip, trying to suppress a yell.

Amputees were able to partake in most sports these days. Diving, running, climbing mountains... why was flying out of an event horizon so different from any of those? Or Daniel just didn't have the right prosthesis for gate travel... not even the J-leg was gate-proof. The thought, as crazy as it was, made him laugh out in a hacked painful sound. He tried to sit up, yanking at the socket to twist it into the right position so it didn't cut off his blood circulation.

Well, the truth was probably that after a year and a half he just wasn't ready for amputee gate travel, yet.

"You okay?" Jack's hand came down on his shoulder, heavy and reassuring, even though his voice did sound a bit shaken. "What a ride."

"Fine," he managed. "I forgot we installed dampers... don't ask how or what... Sam could... you know, explain. Anyhow, it makes gate traveling easier. Rodney should get right on that once we're back."

Jack pulled him to his feet. "Whatever... Uh, Daniel?...There's a huge... hammer?"

"Oh, yes. It'll scan us. Don't panic. It's ok." But the oversized hammer, made from naquadah, stood dark and silent. No scanning. When Daniel took a closer look at it he realized the hammer was blackened. Someone had been here and destroyed the hammer.

Nobody showed up to greet or laugh at them – as it had happened on Daniel's first encounter with the Cimmerians. He looked up and realized the sun was close to setting, so everyone was probably at the village settling in for the night.

"Ba'al was here," Daniel said darkly.

"And knocked out the hammer?" Jack gestured at the statue.

"Looks like it." He bit his lip and tugged at Jack's arm. "Come on. Let's get out of sight. I think it's better no-one sees us. We're not here to make first contact. If we're lucky the Hall of Might is still here and Ba'al only destroyed the hammer."

Jack blinked once as if he was shaking himself out of some after-gate-travel-shock. He took lead and they made a quick pace to the tree-line and merged with the forest.

"Are you sure you remember where this Hall is supposed to be?" Jack pulled out his binoculars and, from behind the first rows of trees, scanned the clearing with the looming hammer and gate. Nobody showed up; all was still in the golden evening sun.

"I think so, yes," Daniel mumbled, not all too sure of himself. Trees had grown a lot. It had been many years since he had last been here... or on his version of the planet. "We could seek out Kendra. She knows about the Goa'uld and could probably take us to the Hall. But I'd rather not. Thor didn't take too kindly to us bringing Gairwyn into the Hall. So it's probably better we leave the Cimmerians out of this."

"Kendra? Gairwyn?" Jack didn't take his eyes off his binoculars.

"Oh, the two women who helped us. Kendra led us to the hammer and Gairwyn showed us the Hall of Might. Let's..." Daniel looked around, finding trees, trees and... oh, trees. He wondered if this Jack had a disliking of trees. "Walk."

"This is nice," Jack said, pocketing his binoculars. "Sorta like home."

"Many of the worlds we visited are."

"I used to hike a lot. It's great to clear my head from ... stuff. Kind of miss that now. Ice fishing is great, but I really like trees better than ice."

Daniel snorted, then grinned. Some things were, after all, different.

They hiked for an hour, Daniel trying to ignore the phantom pain slowly building up in his left leg. He managed to walk without stumbling and staggering too much. This J-Leg really was great on uneven ground.

It was dusk now. The sun had vanished behind the mountains in a red-orange ball of fire.

"It'll be dark soon. We should find a place to camp," Daniel mumbled.

"Do you, or do you not know the way?" Jack eyed him suspiciously.

"No. I mean yes. I know the way. It's just... " Sighing, he gestured at his leg. "This works better when I can actually see where I'm going."

The general winced. "Sorry."

"It's okay. It's just annoying."

"No. I should've thought of that. Let's find a place."

They found some huge tree trunks in a small clearing, perfect for bunkering behind.

"No fire," Jack ordered and they settled on the thick layer of leaves covering the ground. Fortunately it was warm so a fire wasn't needed at all. They put their packs down and retrieved their MREs.

###

They sat next to each other, elbows touching every time one of them moved. The moon was full and rich, making it easy to see each other's profiles while they sipped soup from self heating MRE packages.

"Is this tomato soup?" Daniel peered into his mug.

"Not a clue. Were MRE's better where you come from?"

"No, not really."

"Isn't that comforting?"

Daniel snorted and they fell silent again. There was a tawny owl, or something similar according to its forlorn call. When Daniel looked up through the canopy of the trees, he saw stars on a cloudless sky.

"We've been friends." Jack's voice was so low, Daniel thought he imagined it. But then he continued. "The kind of friends that go way back."

Daniel didn't say anything, didn't move, almost stopped breathing, fearing any interruption would make Jack stop talking. Talking and Jack rarely came together. If he decided to talk feely touchy stuff, you'd better listen because it was important

"Actually, he was a friend of Sara's first. She met him at an evening class about Egyptian mumbo jumbo... myths and such. He was the teacher. She kept talking about him like he was some sort of Wonder Boy. Kept going on about how he'd enthrall the whole class with his compassion. Just by the way he talked." He snorted softly. "I was kinda jealous. But not really. I mean, hey, he was a geek, right? One night she brought him home for dinner."

Their elbows nudged when Jack sipped from his soup and Daniel wondered if the ban was broken now. But after a moment of silence, he went on, "There was just something about him. He was this young-ish guy with long floppy hair, awful baggy clothes and glasses big as saucers. But when you looked at him, I mean really looked at him... he had the brightest eyes I'd ever seen and the ... the way he talked was just... He had a way with words. We went head over heels into an argument right at that first evening. Something about our kids not being educated properly in history regarding countries other than our own." Jack grinned into his soup mug. "I think I called archaeological digs a sandbox at one point and Sara almost fainted from embarrassment. But he gave me a shit eating grin, asking if I'd joined the AF because I didn't want to stop playing with planes. Well, it was fun, even though Sara didn't think so."

"What then?" Painful memories of similar discussions tugged at Daniel's heartstrings, making it difficult to focus on what Jack was saying. God, yeah, had they ever really agreed on anything – aside from the fact that the Goa'uld were evil and had to be defeated? But even disagreeing had its advantages. They used to argue for fun, outside of work...

"We found other things to argue, other things we even agreed on. Sara was pissed with me for being provoking and argumentative. The thing was... it didn't feel like that to me. I wasn't sure if I even liked him then. But in some way we clicked right that evening."

...and when they had agreed on something they'd done it without many words, they had just known they were on the same page, one look, one nod, one raised eyebrow, one smirk...

"Charlie had a school project a couple of weeks later, about ancient Greece. That's when we met again because Sara called him to help our kid. I tell ya, my son was never interested in history. But Daniel got him hooked. He pointed Charlie to the sports connection and Olympic games. It was all it took to make him listen."

"Good for Charlie." Daniel gazed at the sky again, wondering if he'd have gotten along well with his Jack's kid. He wasn't a kid-person. But that didn't mean he disliked kids. He just never interacted with them. Well, aside from Cassie. The thought of Cassie made him sad and he pushed it aside.

"We used to spend time together then. He still used to come over, long after Sara's class was finished. He'd entertained the wife and the kid with stories from his digs, ate all my snacks and told me my choice of beer was crappy."

"It is," Daniel couldn't resist pointing out. "In both timelines."

"Smartass."

"That's just me."

Jack bumped his elbow into Daniel's, this time on purpose, and Daniel bumped right back. "What happened?"

"What do you mean; what happened?"

"Something happened."

"How'd you figure that?"

"A hunch." _Things are never that easy between us. It's always complicated, always something... something drives us apart and then something brings us together even more tightly... _

The general didn't answer at first and Daniel was sure he had lost the connection, that Jack had closed his shell.

Jack leaned back at the tree trunk, gazed at the stars and said, "I took him fishing, baited him with a cave near our cabin that had some chicken scratchings. He took me to the New York Museum of Arts, baiting me with... well nothing. I went along because he batted his..." He trailed off, then shrugged and continued. "He told me his parents died there. It was hard for him to go back, but he felt he had to and wanted some company."

"I wanted to do that," Daniel said with a sigh. "All those years I wanted to ask him to ... to go there with me. And I knew he'd come along, but I never actually did." After the gamekeeper experience he'd been thinking about it, to put an end to this chapter of his life, finding some closure. Well, it was water under the bridge now...

"Why not?"

"I think we've always been too busy saving the world," Daniel said bitterly. There had never been enough time for themselves, never enough time to do all the things he had wanted to do with Jack as a couple, or as friends even. When they had been home they either recovered from injuries or they needed their leave to sort out some post mission emotional crap. And if they had for once been healthy and happy they'd just enjoyed staying home or at the cabin.

Doing normal things, daily life stuff. Shopping, taking a walk, going out for dinner, staying home to make love or meet the others as a bunch friends, not as a team.

Though they always had been "the team" no matter what.

"When I first met you, I was taken aback at how different you are from my Daniel," Jack suddenly said. "But then I think you're really not that different. It's just... he looked like a kid in college not knowing how to make a living. Was full of these big ideas about aliens using pyramids as landing platforms for spaceships. He believed the great pyramid of Giza was built way earlier than history dictated."

"I used to be like that. He seems like a younger... an earlier version of myself." Daniel wasn't sure he felt comfortable talking about this. "Running around the universe and shooting at people makes you change. Or trying to avoid the shooting and do the running."

"I guess."

"I needed to go through some military training and many things in my life became different from the point when I stepped through that gate for the first time. Not having that experience meant he didn't have to change." And a part in Daniel envied his counterpart for it.

"But like you he was compassionate about everything he did. He hated Budge..."

"Oh, YES," Daniel said from the bottom of his heart.

"When he was excited or mad about something he became very animated. He used to do this thing with his hands, flailing them all over the place. It was kinda... cute. You do it too, ya know? Not that much though."

"Yeah. I kinda learned to... not do that too much. Jack called it the plantboy dance."

"Plantboy?"

"Long story."

"Ah. Wanna share?"

"Maybe another time."

They opened their packs and pulled out the thermo blankets. It was getting chilly. Daniel offered to keep first watch. Jack argued, but Daniel told him he was used to keeping first watch, and that it was his favorite because it meant he could sleep through the rest of the night.

"All right. Have it your way." Jack shrugged, settled on his side, blanket wrapped around him. "Wake me in four."

He couldn't walk perimeter in the dark, but he didn't have trouble staying awake. His thoughts wandered to Sam and Cam, who were hopefully living a halfway normal life. He wondered if Sam found a job she liked, a guy she lived with or at least dated... or if she lived her life like a robot, waiting for the day when Ba'al would come. Like Daniel had done until Jack had called him. And Cam... what was he up to? Daniel pictured Mitchell living in a house in a suburb, working somewhere, tinkering with his car in his spare time. Maybe he was dating someone.

Others entered his mind, people, faces... Cassie, never rescued from Hanka, Nyan still living on his home world trying to find out what the Stargate was. Loren, still alone at the palace with the light... who knew? He wondered about the other system lords, the Ori, Merlin... SG-1 had made a difference in his timeline and Daniel knew some of it was for the good and some for the bad.

_The universe is vast and we are so small. There is only one thing we can ever truly control. Whether we are good or evil._

He wondered what Oma was doing... did she help people to ascend? Did she help Anubis to ascend? And if she did, had Ba'al found a way to get rid of him?

What about the replicators?

"I can hear you thinking," Jack growled. "Stop it. It's annoying."

"I never stop," he said with a shrug. "Neither thinking nor being annoying."

The thermo blanket rustled behind him. "Yeah, I figured that."

"Go back to sleep."

"Can't." Jack got up, cursed about his knees, and walked away. "Taking a leak."

When he returned, he pulled his blanket over to where Daniel was sitting. A moment later Daniel found himself being wrapped into his own blanket. "It's getting chilly," Jack said, his voice gruff. "You'll freeze your ass off sitting here like that."

"You knew he was gay, didn't you?" Daniel asked out of the blue.

"And? So? Therefore?" Then after a pause. "You snooped around in his stuff."

"I lived in his apartment. He had journals, calendars... ."

"That's wrong on so many levels," Jack bitched. "You've no right..."

"You could've gone through his things, removed what you felt was private. If I was going to live pretending to be him I had to do my homework."

"Couldn't. There wasn't enough time."

"There weren't any pictures of you. No indications, no journal entries mentioning you..." Daniel chewed on his lip, trying to work this out.

"I've only been at his place a couple of times. Mostly we met at my place. After I got divorced we met at my new apartment. I had this pool table. He was pretty good at billiards And chess. We played chess together. Pool, Backgammon."

_Yes_, Daniel thought, _we did. Among other thin__gs. _And he _had to _know. _Needed _to know. It wasn't just curiosity, it was more... A lot more. If he had to indefinitely live his life as this reality's Doctor Jackson, he needed to know what history he and this Jack had.

But before he could ask, Jack went on, "I was transferred to Cairo West Air Base in ninety six. Daniel had an apartment in Cairo where he lived when he was on digs in Giza. He used to come along and on my weekends off we stayed at his place. Wasn't a big place but it was a nice change from the narrow base quarters and having to share the showers with ten other guys."

"What did you do on those weekends?"

"Hang out. Play games, the usual stuff. Watching TV, arguing, reading."

"Scratching an itch?" He knew he was crawling out on a limb here, risking to be punched in the face and left to die.

"What about you?" Jack fired back without missing a beat.

"What?"

"Itching? Scratching?"

Daniel pulled the blanket more tightly around his body. "It started out like that. We were getting under each others' skin. One day we decided we better get it out of our systems."

"Did it work?"

"Yes. Pretty good, actually. Then we moved on... It wasn't always easy. Lots of issues on both sides... but we found a way to be together. We made plans." The Ori had been defeated, Ba'al had been about to die... Jack had wanted to retire, Daniel had wanted to go to Atlantis. They had decided to take the plunge and go together. "Then Ba'al happened."

"Sorry."

"Wasn't your fault." _But you could've listened. You could've tried to talk to Landry. Could've tried a little harder to see our point. You could've... _

In the end it probably wouldn't have made a difference. Jack O'Neill hadn't been the commander of Stargate command then, hadn't been a general. Landry had made up his mind like everyone else.

All the could've, should've, would've's in the world didn't make a difference now.

"Get some sleep," Jack said, gently.

"You didn't answer my question," Daniel scowled.

"No, I didn't."

The conversation was apparently over for now.

###

Daniel couldn't hide the fact his leg was torturing him. He limped along next to Jack, biting his lip and trying to focus on taking it one step at a time. Jack didn't say anything, but he could feel the worried glances and knew he'd be ordered to rest any minute.

Damn it. They'd only been hiking for two hours and there was no need to take a break this early. Stupid underbrush and rocks they had to walk around.

Daniel was almost sure they were heading in the right direction.

Then again...

"Hey, what's that?" Jack pointed at a monument, a much smaller representation of Thor's hammer back at the gate.

"That's it." The relief was almost overwhelming.

"That's the Hall of Might?"

"Yes. Well, it's the entrance to the Hall." Daniel stepped closer and pushed the ruby stone embedded into the upper part of the monument.

###

"Jesus! You could give a guy a warning!" Daniel felt Jack's hand digging into his shoulder when the beam had vanished.

"Uh, sorry. I keep forgetting you're not used to..."

"See, I don't know how your Jack took to surprises. I really don't like them. So you might consider telling me about stuff like this _before_ it happens?"

Switching on his flashlight, Daniel looked around in the chamber they'd been transported to. "The hammer sign should be right over there..." The beam of his light scurried over the wall, spotting a small hammer statue with a ruby stone in the center. For a second the area around the hammer shimmered, then an image of a Viking in full attire and helmet appeared before them.

"Holy..." Jack started, but was interrupted by the loud deep voice of Thor.

"I am Thor. You are brave to come before me."

"Daniel..."

"It's just a holograph."

"Of course it is."

"However, only the worthy may witness Thor's might." Thor informed them and disappeared.

"Step back," Daniel warned, pulling Jack to the far wall of the chamber.

The room started shaking, the ground crumbling and falling away in front of them, only leaving a small pathway in the middle of the abyss to walk on.

When the dust had settled and the trembling had stopped, Jack exhaled loudly. "Daniel. Surprised here."

"Ye-ah. It kind of happens fast. Uh... I..., I think we have a slight problem here."

"Just one?" Jack stepped forward, gazing down into the pit. "You knew about this. Why the hell did you insist on coming along?"

"This is exactly what it's all about. We have to cross the abyss working together. It's one of the tests. I underestimated how small the path is though..."

"Ya think?"

They let their lights crawl over the awfully narrow path, then down into the pit.

"The last time I was here, when Gairwyn fell, the ground turned to be solid again. So it MIGHT just be an illusion. But... I wouldn't count on that," Daniel said.

Jack crouched, waving his P90 into the abyss. "Not solid."

Squaring his shoulders, Daniel stepped onto the small bar. "I can do it. I just have to be careful."

Trying to focus on his inner balance as he had learned in PT, Daniel took one step, his arms outstretched, eyes locked onto the opposite wall. Not downcast. Not even to the left or right. _Focus on the wall._ With every step he took, there was a moment when he'd have only one leg on the ground, even if he'd have two normal legs. The J-leg was stable, would carry him, would function like a normal leg if he remembered to balance it out properly... He...

"I'm right behind you." Jack's voice, firm but calm.

Daniel willed his prosthesis to leave the ground and, for a moment, hovered on one leg...

"Keep moving. One step at a time."

He pulled the J-leg forward and gently settled it on the path.

Rubble loosened and drifted down into the pit.

"Next step when you're ready. Take your time." Jack's voice was light, casual, reassuring.

The good leg obeyed much easier as he lifted his foot and placed it before the J-leg.

Sweat ran down his temples.

More rubble fell when he moved his prosthesis again, hovering, pulling forward, settling down... The path was swaying and Daniel lost his fix point on the wall... his eyelids fluttering...

"Aht. Eyes on the wall. Nowhere else."

"Okay. Okay..." Licking his lips he took another step, and another.

Like that they crept forward, Jack's mere presence anchoring him, keeping him in balance...

And he realized it had been a long time since he had to rely on someone like this. A long time since he was dependent on one of his teammates so completely. And even longer since it had been Jack he relied on out in the field. He hated the feeling, hated the knowledge that if Jack panicked, if Jack lost his confidence, his calmness ... Daniel would slip...

But Jack wouldn't panic... Daniel wouldn't slip.

Because in the end it didn't matter that this wasn't the Jack Daniel used to make love to. Or that this Jack wasn't the one who had spent over ten years of their lives watching his back. In the end this was Jack and he was Daniel and together they were good.

"Easy there. You need to rest?"

"No. I'm good. As long as I don't have to tap dance..."

"There's a thought..."

"You'd like that?"

"One of my secret kinks. Eyes, Daniel. Front and center."

He grinned, then sobered quickly as he swayed again, his J-leg hovering in midair. Wasn't it time for Thor to show up and tell them they passed?

"Daniel? Step?"

"Uh... ye-ah."

Step. Pause. Step.

A light burst forth in front of the hammer sign and Viking Thor materialized. At the same time the ground reappeared, just like that, from one moment to the other. Jack grabbed Daniel's hips, his fingers painfully digging into Daniel's skin through the thick fabric of the jacket. They lost their balance as they tried to stay upright, struggling, swaying, bumping into each other. Jack's arms came around him, Jack's body supported him.

Finally they stood, back to chest, very still.

"You have shown true selflessness and bravery. Willingness to sacrifice oneself to save another is an honorable trait. I salute you. Now you must add wisdom to courage. Solve the riddle of the runes, and I will show you my true might," Thor announced – and vanished.

"Uh, you can let go now," Daniel murmured.

"Yeah," For a second Daniel felt Jack's warm breath on his neck, then he was gone and Daniel felt cold all of a sudden.

They approached the hammer monument and another transporter beam engulfed them, sending them into the next room. A fire was burning in the center of the room in a kettle. Daniel recognized the different symbols on the walls.

"What now?"

"Now we solve the riddle of the runes." He stepped forward, trying to remember what it was he had to do next. "It's a safeguard. Thor wants to be sure that whoever wants to talk to him is able to understand the truth. He wants to be sure his children have grown up enough before he, uh…reveals himself to them.." He knew he was rambling, giving Jack the usual TMI...

"Right. But what exactly is it he wants us to do?"

Daniel wandered from one wall to the other, mumbling more to himself than to Jack, "One wall has runes. One has pictographs. And one has simple geometric shapes... Norse runes were ideas, but in later years they became letters. But they were also numbers. Three… fourteen… fifteen… nine. It's pi... "Pi" is an Earth term but we could depict it on the geometric shapes. Sam said Pi is used to find the circumference of a circle by measuring the radius..."

"Oy."

"It's really simple... the radius of the circle. The inside of each of these forms is soft like sand..." Daniel moved over to the geometric shapes. A circle, a triangle, a square. He drew a line with his finger from the center of the circle to the bottom and the sand fell away, revealing a red stone with the gold symbol of the hammer on it.

He reached out to push the stone but Jack's fingers closed around his wrist, stopping him. "Wait a minute there. What's next? Quicksand? A pool full of snakes? Walking on water?"

"No. We did it. Next we can talk to Thor. The real one."

"Right. Does he really look like the Roswell alien?"

"Yep."

"Thought you were kidding."

"Nope."

"No?"

"No, Jack." Daniel couldn't suppress the smile as he shook his head and pushed the stone. A light beamed out from behind them, and when they turned, a small, gray alien with large black eyes stood before them, blinking slowly. "I am the actual one…whom you know as Thor."

###

"...and so we need your help." Daniel finished what he thought was a rather short version of the events that had led to Ba'al being the most powerful system lord, him losing a leg, one Jack being dead and the other one being a general at an Antarctica SGC, Sam and Mitchell being ... somewhere and Teal'c being first prime of Ba'al. Daniel thought he really didn't ramble that much. Looking at the circumstances, he didn't think anyone could've explained it shorter or more significant...

"What he means is; Ba'al screwed up the timeline, Daniel got stranded here along with some other guys from the old timeline, Ba'al is plotting away at universe domination and you are our only way out."

Okay, that sort of bottom lined it.

Daniel bit his lip and crossed his arms to hide his anxiousness. Then he wrapped his arms around himself, only to let them drop to his sides again. Self hugging. Not good. Not good at all.

Thor blinked. "Interesting. Are the Cimmerians aware that you are here?"

"No. We didn't want to interfere in their natural development, since we aren't really a first contact team," Daniel hurried to say.

"That was very perceptive of you, Doctor Jackson. They are very suspicious of strangers. Ba'al destroyed the hammer, so they are hiding in the mountains now in fear of the Goa'uld returning to take them as hosts." Thor blinked again. "You do realize we cannot repair your timeline as it would result in erasing ours. It is unfortunate that this happened, but we cannot reverse it."

"Ye-ah, I'm aware of that. And as much as I want to change your mind, I know I can't."

"So what is it you are asking for?" Thor blinked again.

"At this point we're asking for a transfer to Proclarush Taonas in order to find a ZPM. So we can bring it back to Earth and activate the weapon at the ancient outpost in Antarctica. To be prepared if Ba'al attacks."

"I see. Only one who possesses the ancient gene is able to use ancient technology."

"I have it," Jack said confidently, waving at Thor.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. He says so..." Jack patted Daniel's shoulder. "I'll give it a go if you get us to Taonas."

Thor didn't look impressed, but then he never did show any kind of facial expression at all. "I will call in a meeting with the Asgard High Council. However, I do not believe Earth is yet ready for encountering the galaxy or ancient technology."

"Wait... Just..." Daniel made a step in Thor's direction, holding out his hands in an attempt to stop him from disappearing.

But Jack was already talking."Hey, look, you seem to be a great fella... And I don't want to sound arrogant, but you folks should understand that we're out here, now. And we might not be ready for a lot of this stuff. But we're doing the best we can. We are a very curious race," Jack explained. "And Daniel here comes from a time where all this has happened already. You guys are our allies in that alternate reality. How do you think he knows all that stuff about the Goa'uld, the Ancients, the Tok'ra... about the ancient outpost? He's been there. Done it. Got the T-shirt..."

Thor blinked and Daniel cringed, but Jack was on a roll now.

"Just answer me one question, Thor – Is Ba'al the most powerful system lord, or not? And if he is, don't you want him to bite the dust as much as we do?"

"Ba'al has indeed gained much power. He is controlling most of the other system lord's territories. However, if we strike him down, all remaining system lords will step up and try to take his place," Thor said.

"And if they do, they'll be busy fighting amongst each other for a long time," Daniel said. "How many of them are left?"

"Apophis was executed. Many minor system lords were killed in the battles Ba'al started. The remaining major system lords are Ra, Yu, Sokar, Camulus, Nirrti, Heru'ur and Cronus. They all submitted themselves to Ba'al, accepting his status as their god. Ba'al has united all system lords and all Jaffa to fight for him. He offers the Jaffa freedom once he has gained power over the whole galaxy. The Asgard protected worlds are the only ones he will leave alone. For now."

"He did destroy the hammer," Daniel pointed out.

Thor nodded. "It was his only act of violation. We believe he wants to make sure that no host can be freed of the Goa'uld." After a pause the Asgard said, "I do admit that Ba'al's development of power is disconcerting. I will contact the Asgard High Council regarding your requests." With a beam of light he disappeared.

###

They sat on the ground, backs against the wall. The fire in the kettle was the only light in the otherwise dark room. They ate power bars and Daniel told Jack the story about Thor's hammer and how they had to destroy it in order to save Teal'c.

"I'd like to meet that guy," Jack said. "Sounds like a man I'd want on my team."

"He is. You were like brothers in arms. And you... my Jack... taught him all kinds of bad Earth cultural habits. Like watching TV and enjoying junk food. And the Simpsons."

"Really? What was his favorite episode?"

"Jack's? Oh, he could quote from all of them. I think he really liked them all. And the movie of course."

"Yes. The movie was great. Do you think Burns makes a good Goa'uld? I haven't met any of those guys, but from what you told me, he might"

"Funny you mention this. Our Jack said so, too." He absently rubbed his leg and grimaced.

"You should doff the leg."

"Thor might return anytime..."

"Hey, he can wait till you donned it again."

"I really don't..."

"How long have you been wearing it now? You didn't doff it last night."

"I couldn't. If we were to move fast..." Daniel gritted his teeth as the familiar throbbing flared up, morphing into pins and needles all down to his non-existent foot. He had tried to hold it at bay all morning, focusing on more important things. But now that he had a period of semi-rest the phantom pain seemed to stretch, filling his tired body and mind.

"I know. Take if off." Jack moved until he was crouched in front of him.

"It's just phantom pain," Daniel ground out. "Something to do with the brain and nerves trying to make you believe the body part's still there."

"It's probably also from wearing the prosthesis too long."

"Maybe. But the pain won't leave just because I doff it."

"You're one stubborn SOB. Take it off already, that's an order."

They glared at each other in the semi darkness of the room. Finally Jack let out a sigh. "Come on. I can help with that pain. Give it a go."

"How can you help? You specialized in stump massage?" Daniel knew his voice was like acid and he was being irritable, but he needed someone to throw his anger at. And Jack was the only one in reach at the moment. Gritting his teeth, he opened his pants and squirmed and pulled until they came down to his thighs. Grimacing, he loosened the socket and unstrapped the leg which was now stuck in his pants.

"Something like that, yeah." Jack carefully pulled the leg out of Daniel's pants and placed it on the ground next to them.

"Wait... I can..." Daniel pulled off the sock, moaning at the stabbing pain shooting up and down his leg. All the way down to his toes. Toes that weren't there anymore. And as he touched his thigh it was warm and throbbed.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere? Don't TOUCH..."

"I can't do anything for ya if I don't touch."

"Just... don't. It'll be gone in a while. I can massage it myself." He began to gently apply pressure on his thigh.

"All right. Let me touch your good leg then?"

"My therapist tried that, virtual massage, working on the real leg and wanting me to feel it in the other one... didn't work," Daniel just wanted to be alone, focusing on the simple massage techniques his therapist had taught him.

"Try to relax," Jack said, quiet authority in his voice.

"Look can you just go over there and stare at the pictographs? Or..." But even as he said it, he stretched out his other leg, tipping back his head and closing his eyes while his own hands still massaged his thigh.

"Where does it hurt?" Jack repeated, warm and soothing now.

"Underneath the knee, the side of my calf... down to the feet," Daniel said, defeated.

"I won't touch the stump if you don't want me to. All I'm gonna do is this... " And then Jack's hands were on his right leg, gently massaging his knee and calf, stroking up and down his shin. "Daniel used to say I have magical hands. That's crap, but it always worked on him. Close your eyes. Imagine I'm doing this to your left leg."

"My left leg's no longer there," Daniel spat.

"But it still hurts. Your nervous system believes it's still there. It'll also believe I'm massaging it. It's a bluff."

Daniel snorted.

Jack's hands continued working on his right leg, massaging, rubbing, loosening the kinks... a thumb trailing down his shin, fingers digging into tensed calf muscles...

"Tell me about your Jack," he said.

"Distraction?"

"Whatever works."

"My Jack used to be a pilot like you. He was also special ops trained and a colonel when we first met. He'd been married to Sara and had a son..." Daniel told Jack about Jack, about the death of Charlie, how he had been recruited back into active duty when the Stargate program launched... how they had gone to Abydos and killed Ra... how Jack had come back after a year...

Slowly he relaxed and then Jack's hands _were_ on his _left_ leg, on the part that wasn't really there, gently stroking, kneading, rubbing... and it was good and soothing... Daniel could _feel_ Jack's hands there...

"...he took me home with him, just like that. And I lived in his guest room for weeks before the Air Force was able to place me and give me an apartment. It took some time to get all the paper work done... that's good... Yes, right there... how do you..." He struggled to sit up more straight.

"Aht, keep your eyes closed. So you lived with him and he was the leader of your team. And how'd you manage to get along without killing each other? I can't imagine leading my Daniel on a mission, ever. He'd have me kick his ass every five minutes and then probably giving in to whatever bullshit he'd try to talk me into." After a pause, Jack added dryly, "So do you, apparently."

"We struggled. But I think we were pretty equal. And we could do reasonable if we had to. Wouldn't have survived that long if we didn't. He was a good leader. I was good at steering the leader in the right directions... ouch... careful..."

"Sorry. How's that Teal'c guy playing into all that? You met him on Chulak and he helped you to escape and took all those prisoners home... "

"Yeah. The seed of disbelief was already there, planted by his master Bra'tac, who taught him everything he knew. Bra'tac and Teal'c didn't believe in the Goa'uld as gods long before we came along. I think we gave him the last nudge to finally start the fight... Actually, you... Jack did..." Again Daniel talked, about Teal'c, the friendship they shared, the Jaffa rebellion...

Jack removed the boot off his right foot, then the sock. He massaged the ankle, then the outlines of his foot. Daniel could feel the effects in his left foot. He kept his eyes closed. The talking had stopped, and he felt himself becoming warm and sleepy. "How're you doing that? This is amazing..."

"Getting better?"

"Yesss... they tried to teach me. Tried to make me do this to myself, to feel the massage in the other leg. They called it mirror therapy. But it never... it never worked."

"When Daniel lost his leg he did research on alternative medicine, different ways to deal with the phantom pain. He talked me into helping him. I didn't think it'd work, but he said that even the military had tried this kind of massage on their veterans with amputated limbs. His therapist showed him the technique and he taught me."

"You still didn't answer my question," Daniel mumbled, feeling more rested than he had in a long time. Any more relaxed and he'd feel boneless. The pain had subsided to a dull faint ache. But what was even more amazing, he still felt both his legs. It was... a little scary. But he didn't care. It was good.

"We were friends."

"No itching and scratching?"

Jack's hands stilled, his long fingers wrapped around the ankle of his foot. "There was a lot of itching and no scratching."

"No scratching?"

"You might have been in a very unusual command structure and seeing as Hammond was your superior it doesn't surprise me you risked being together. In my position things were a tad different."

"There are wide areas in the military where 'don't ask don't tell' is a normal concept."

"Not in my world, Danny-boy. Especially not in Cairo. I couldn't. We both knew that, we both lived with it. It wasn't meant to be," Jack said very quietly.

Daniel opened his eyes and looked straight into Jack's, dark deep pools in his face only illuminated by the orange-red light of the fire. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's life." Jack patted his leg and sat back on his heels. "How ya feelin'?"

"A lot better, thank you."

###

Thor reappeared with a beam of light just when Daniel had finished donning his leg. He rose with Jack's help and while his stump still hurt, the phantom pain was gone for now.

"I have met with the High Council," Thor greeted them. "We are very sorry about what happened to your timeline, Doctor Jackson. But the Asgard are highly involved in a war with an enemy called the replicators. We cannot assist you in reaching Taonas. As we speak the three Asgard home worlds are taken over by them. They are a bigger threat than the Goa'uld could ever be."

"Actually," Daniel said, "we can help you with that."

"We can?" Jack asked.

"How so?" Thor tilted his head and the blinking just quickened a little.

"There's a weapon on Dakara. A weapon able to end all life in the galaxy. But it can be re-programmed to just kill one species."

"We have never heard of such a weapon. However, we do not have the time to find it and do research or run test simulations. The situation is much urgent."

Daniel turned to Jack, grabbing the only opportunity he had to convince him... "Where is Sam."

"Daniel..."

"No. Where IS she? She's the one."

"For crying out loud, she's living somewhere in Arkansas..."

"She's the only one who knows how to reprogram that weapon!" Daniel snapped. "THINK!"

It was a lie. But now was not the time to feel bad about it. The end justified the means. Sometimes at least it had to.

A beam of light whisked them away.

###-

"Look for Olivia Wood, Batesville, Arkansas," Jack muttered absently, eyes darting back and forth between Thor in his command chair and the consoles of the ship they were beamed to. "And you can fly this ship with those crystal thingies?"

"Yes."

"Cool."

On a huge computer screen street addresses scrolled down, and there was a map of Batesville, Arkansas, on another screen. They were hovering in orbit around Earth. Just a minute ago they had been standing in the Hall of Might on Cimmeria.

Daniel felt amused about Jack's bewilderment despite his anxiousness. He was still surprisingly composed given the circumstances, but Daniel could read in his face like in a book. And right now Jack O'Neill was trying to take it all in, eyes wide, eyebrows raised.

"And how're you able to get all these data from our planet?" Jack sounded more amazed than alarmed.

"Your security level is very low, your way of protecting data very primitive," Thor said stoically.

"Rrright. What was I thinking?" Jack rubbed a hand through his hair as he began pacing the bridge.

"We have found a person named Olivia Wood currently living in Batesville, Arkansas." The enlarged image of Sam showed up on the screen, a typical passport ID picture.

"That's her," Daniel confirmed.

"She is currently at her apartment," Thor informed them. "Are you certain she will be able to reprogram the weapon on Dakara in less time than we would need to find a way of analyzing it?

"Yes." Daniel turned casually, gazing at Sam's image to avoid eye contact with either Jack or Thor. Though he was fairly sure Thor wasn't very good in reading human expressions and Jack was too busy being gob-smacked right now to look through the smoke screen.

Jack picked up one of the stones, holding it between long fingers like a vulnerable piece of art, and studied it from all angles.

"Very well." Thor moved his own stone across his console and then Sam stood in the middle of the bridge like Alice who stepped through the mirror. She was dressed in sweats, tennis shoes, and a tank top, her hair wound into a loose pony tail. And she was holding a TV remote in her hand.

The TV remote dropped and clattered on the deck.

"Sam!" Daniel pushed off the wall he had been leaning on.

"Daniel..." She whispered, then shouted. "Daniel!"

They hugged, Sam almost knocking him off his legs, clinging and holding onto each other. "It's so good seeing you again," she whispered into his ear and he could hear suppressed sobs. "God, it's... Daniel..."

"I know, I know... I..." He patted her back, fingered her long silky hair, squeezed her waist. "Sam..." It was like being united with your long lost sibling, your missing twin. It was like a family reunion. It was like a wonderful shock. "We need your help... I need your help."

"I figured." She pulled back then, wiping at her eyes, smiling at him through her tears. "I missed you."

"Yes, me too." He didn't realize how much. Not until she stood before him.

Sam spun around to face Thor. "What's going on?" Then her eyes grew wide when they settled on Jack. "Sir?"

"I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet."

"I'm... well, you know who I am," Jack said awkwardly.

Thor continued, "Samantha Carter, I was told you have the knowledge on how to defeat the replicators."

"Well, I..." She turned back to Daniel, who shrugged.

"Dakara."

"Yes. Of course." She gave him a puzzled look.

"Dakara is deep within Ba'al's territory and therefore highly guarded by ships," Thor informed them. "Once I know how the weapon functions, I will be able to back engineer it. But we must use it to save the three Asgard home worlds first. I can transport you into the temple, but I cannot be of further assistance once you are in the temple. Dakara is not a protected planet. I do not have any refugees here. If we were detected by Goa'uld ship's sensors it will be considered an act of war. This will be used as an excuse by Ba'al for violating all treaties with Asgard protected worlds."

"The Ancients built a massive monument and the weapon is inside it. When activated, the statue's helmet will open like a four-petaled flower and the weapon will fire from there," Sam recalled.

"What kind of weapon is it?" Thor moved around his crystal until Sam's huge image vanished from the screen. The screen now showed an image of Dakara, the monument looming high above everything else.

"It uses an energy wave to reduce all matter to its basic molecular elements. It's not strong enough to disintegrate an entire planet but it will wash away everything on a planet's surface and anything in the surrounding space. General O'Neill..." Sam glanced at Jack, "...sorry, our General O'Neill, once built a disruptor weapon to destroy replicators that worked in a similar way to the weapon on Dakara. He was under the influence of an Ancient repository of knowledge then."

"What do you need to proceed?"

"I need an output that's giving me the frequency spectrum of the wave the weapon uses to disintegrate matter."

"I cannot access the weapon with my ships sensors while it is deactivated. I am afraid you have to calibrate and activate it from the surface."

"Okay, once we are there..."

"We are now."

Jack still looked rather flummoxed. "Those guys move fast. REAL fast."

Ignoring him, Sam addressed Thor. "Once I'm able to find the right frequency you need to open all Stargates in your galaxy at once. The weapon will send its energy signal through the gate on Dakara out to all open gates it can reach. Because the replicators are of a collective mind, we have to make sure to get rid of them all at once before they can immunize themselves."

"Positive. Once our home worlds are freed we would have enough time to modify the weapon once more, if there are any replicators left. "

"So you can open all your gates at once from here?"

"Yes. Once the weapon is activated, I can also download all I need to build a modified version should some of the replicators survive the attack. We need to send you into the temple now, before Ba'al's fleet detects my ship. I will transfer you back to the ship as soon as you have engaged the weapon. Please hurry. I can hide behind the moon, but not indefinitely."

"Hey, just a..." Jack started to say.

Daniel began to feel sorry for him.

###-

"...minute," Jack finished his sentence once they materialized in the temple. "Daniel, this was _yet_ another surprise."

"Sorry," he said absently. There was no time for explanations, no time for long discussions now. Sam was already standing in front of a solid stone wall covered in ancient writings.

_Midday, the darkness is high in the sky? The wind blows on the pillow? _Daniel frowned, then he remembered Sam's report on the Dakara mission. He stepped forward and began to turn the five circles that were embedded in the wall.

The wall began to tremble and moved to reveal a chamber.

###

Daniel moved to Sam's side, staring at the blocks of stone, set into a large platform. He recognized the blocks as panels. "This looks awfully familiar," he mumbled, remembering the time loop Jack and Teal'c had once been in due to an ancient time machine. Well, Daniel actually didn't remember it. But Jack... his Jack and Teal'c would certainly remember. Jack had whined for weeks afterwards about having to eat Froot Loops for over three months.

"The blocks are panels to press. It's inactive now. Look at the large screen over there... the ancient text scrolling down? It should be some sort of guide but neither Dad nor I could translate it. We were heading in the right direction, but had to ask Ba'al for help, as you know."

"I see..." He read the ancient text. "It's all here," he announced. "The device can be set by varying the height of these panels. " He turned as swiftly as his J-Leg allowed to study the writings on the stone panels. "It's amazingly easy to read even though this dialect is very old... It's like these..." He waved at the room in general,"...writings triggered some of what's still buried in my mind from the Ancient knowledge."

"I was wondering about that earlier. What do you need me for?" She asked, eyebrows raised.

"I wasn't sure if it'd work. I need you to... um... " He stood, realizing that the machine triggered far more than any knowledge that might be hidden in his subconscious mind. He could see how it worked. His mind gave him a crystal clear image of the settings they needed. It was all there, all so easy.

His head started hurting and he absently rubbed his temple, a mental echo of Replicator Sam putting her hand inside his brain to mess with it. He got white flashes, images of her standing before him, taunting him, trying to blind him with her appearance as Oma... but also afraid of him, shying away from his own power. Power he pulled from what the ancients had given him, what Oma had taught him during his time among the Others.

Power he didn't even know was still there.

He knew what to do.

The headache subsided and when he raised his head and locked eyes with Sam, they both knew he never really needed her to do this.

"Thank you, Daniel," she said softly. "For getting me anyway."

"We can't do this without you, Sam. I'm serious about that." Daniel could calibrate the weapon. But he couldn't tinker with a time machine.

"What exactly is it we're doing – aside from helping Thor to get rid of the replicators?"

Daniel opened his mouth to explain when Jack called from the entrance, "We'll tell ya later. Just get it to work. I don't know why nobody showed up to shoot at us yet, but I'm pretty sure they will, sooner or later."

"Yes, sir," Sam said stiffly.

"If I remember it right, Jaffa weren't allowed this far into the temple complex unless there's a ceremony of some sort. And since this Dakara wasn't taken over by Jaffa rebels that may still be the case... Besides, I don't think they really know about this compartment," Daniel said. "They're guarding the temple outside and probably didn't detect Thor beaming us in. Well, Ba'al knows about the weapon of course, but I don't think he shared his knowledge with his Jaffa or anybody else."

"Whatever, get started." Jack was guarding the only entrance, P90 ready.

It was almost scary how efficiently they fell back into their respective roles. Jack guarding, Sam and Daniel working together... "Start with that one." He pointed at one of the panels. She pushed it down and a low rumble echoed through the chamber. He gazed at the screen. "I think that was good."

"Hey, kids..." They both spun around, naturally reacting to the tone of voice. _And Jack used to call us kids..._ "There's some movement. You better hurry up."

###

Sam was next to Jack now, pointing Daniel's gun at the two Jaffa, who in return, were pointing their staffs at them. Daniel pushed the next block down, making the panels move and rumble.

"Daniel?" Jack was getting impatient.

"Almost there!"

"Lower your weapons," one of the Jaffa barked.

"Lower yours first," Jack snapped. "Then we'll see."

"It is sacrilege to enter the inner halls of the temple of Dakara. Only the system lords and those who are privileged to become host of a God are allowed to be here, for the ceremony," Jaffa number two said.

"I've got news for ya, fella. The Goa'uld are not gods."

"We are aware of that," Jaffa number one answered somewhat indignant. "It is still forbidden to be here."

"If you know that, why all that yadda about sacrilege?" Jack's P90 didn't waver.

"Lord Ba'al is the only true god. The only one who counts. The Goa'uld in general are not gods. They just posed as gods and Lord Ba'al defeated them all," Jaffa two explained.

"Lord Ba'al is a Goa'uld," Sam said. "How can he be a god if the others aren't."

"Because he has gained the most power. And he has promised us freedom. He is the first Goa'uld who has ever made such an offer."

Daniel quickly pushed down the next panel.

Sam flicked a glance at Jack. "Is that true?"

"Yeah. From what I get – and I don't think I'm getting it all - Ba'al is the head honcho. And he offered the Jaffa freedom once he has conquered the last village of Gaul."

"Sir?"

"You ever watched Asterix?"

"Um... What happened to The Wizard of Oz?"

One of the Jaffa, still holding his staff into Sam's face, asked. "Who is this Wizard of Oz?"

"Oh, he's alll... high and mighty. Your Lord Ba'al doesn't hold a candle to the Wizard."

Daniel almost laughed out loud as he pushed down another panel. Jack's mouth was running away with him no matter the timeline. As much as he had cursed Jack's flippancy sometimes in the past, it was giving him a warm feeling now. He reached out to push another one, when something Sam said to the Jaffa made him stop and listen.

"Do you know Teal'c of Chulak?"

"Everyone knows Teal'c of Chulak. He is Ba'al's first prime. He will lead us all into freedom once we overcome the Tau'ri," the Jaffa replied, pride and confidence in his voice.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Sam said. "Do you know where he is at the moment?"

"What do you want from Teal'c?"

"Well, actually,..."

"Carter," Jack barked, just like their Jack would have. The same air of authority. Daniel listened, head bowed, his hand still hovering over the panel.

How would she react?

Was he the only one who automatically felt drawn to him? Just because he was Jack. Another Jack, but still... Jack? When she replied Daniel heard just the slightest bit of an apologetic tinge, paired with a good dose of determination.

Yep, just like Sam would reply to her CO, if she thought her point was valid.

"Sir, if we can reach Teal'c..."

"There's no need, Carter."

"I beg to differ. In order to fix the..." The apologetic undertone was gone.

"There's nothing TO fix," Jack snarled. Now he was being a prick. Another thing he had in common with their Jack... on occasions.

"Sir..."

"Ba'al will be informed of your intrusion this minute," Jaffa number one said darkly. "You can't escape from here. You will die."

"Say hi from us, why don'tcha... Daniel?" Jack didn't look back, his weapon was still pointed at the Jaffa.

It was a no win situation. If either one of the two parties would fire, all hell would break lose.

Daniel pushed the last panel. "Done."

The temple of Dakara began to sway and tremble, gun fire erupted... guns, not staff blasts... Daniel was thrown back against the ancient view-screen, a loud humming surrounding him... he heard yelling and panic stricken voices muted by the sounds of the energy weapon powering up... Then Thor's white light engulfed him and carried him out of there...

###-

Jack and Sam were still holding up their weapons when they appeared on Thor's ship.

There was a slight movement and on the screen Daniel saw Dakara vanish as the ship entered hyperspace.

"You were successful," Thor said. "The weapon's energy beam entered the Stargate. The Asgard home worlds report that all replicators have been eliminated."

Putting his P90 carefully on the floor, Jack exhaled deeply. "That's good news."

"Indeed. The Asgard owe you gratitude." The little gray alien bowed his head.

"Does that mean you gonna take us to Taonas now?" Jack stood, extending a hand to Daniel, who took it and let himself being pulled to his feet, swaying just a little before he found his footing.

"The ship was hit by one of Ba'al's vessels when I left my cover to transport you on board. We will not be able to move at full speed. While we travel, I will repair the damage and analyze the data I received from the weapon," Thor said. "You may rest in the guest quarters until we reach our destination."

###

The Asgard were the third most technical advanced race in the universe. Their ships were capable of crossing vast distances of galaxies in just a few minutes and were powerful enough to engage Goa'uld and Wraith starships. They were known to be highly advanced with fantastic capabilities, such as time dilation, suspended animation, and Stargate technology.

In creating guest quarters they definitely lacked taste and pragmatic skills. Then again, Daniel reminded himself, human standard of comfortable quarters probably was just different from the Asgard's.

He and Sam settled on uncomfortable small chairs made for Asgard bodies. Aside from those chairs the room was bare of any furniture. Computer consoles and screens were the only other things visible.

Jack had chosen the floor to sit, leaning against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him, P90 in reach. He looked tired, his hair was ruffled, a layer of Dakara temple dust on his face and jacket.

He also looked annoyed. "What was that all about, Carter?" were the first words out of his mouth once they sat down.

"I don't know. You tell me. I was under the impression we were going to fix the timeline with Thor's help. To do that we need Teal'c, so I asked."

Daniel pulled off his glasses, rubbing them at the hem of his shirt. "It's not that simple."

"Can you fill me in on what's going on?" Sam brushed her bangs out of her face and looked at Daniel expectantly.

"We opened the gate," he said, wincing at the look of angry disbelief on her face.

"_We_?"

"Yes, well, um... Robert Rothman did, actually. With a little nudging. Look, Sam, I wanted to contact you. I told them over and over again we needed you and Cam. They wouldn't let me. They... I'm sorry." Daniel gazed at his good leg, feeling like a traitor, even knowing it wasn't his fault they were left in the dark. "I was trying to find you all the time while we were separated..."

Her shoulders slumped and the anger left her face like air whooshed from a balloon. "Yes, I tried, too. No luck."

"General O'Neill... Jack... helped me to get on the program," he continued, wincing again at the snort coming from her.

"Of course he did. I guess it was just a matter of time for him to realize he needs _you_." As soon as the scathing words had left her mouth she paled and turned away. "God Daniel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean... It's just... all that time I was worrying about you and..."

Daniel glanced over at Jack who was listening intent, face unreadable, but his eyes dark with suppressed anger. Their gaze met and Daniel shook his head slightly, hoping he'd stay out of this.

"And here I am, doing what you weren't allowed to. While you had to sit it all out and were condemned to wait. I understand that." He reached out for her, squeezing her shoulder and she grabbed his hand, holding on to it. "I'm sorry."

"Tell me everything," she said after a moment.

Gently pulling his hand away Daniel began from the start, telling her how Jack had contacted him and where it went from there. They didn't have a lot of time so he concentrated on facts and 'need to know' basics.

Sam didn't utter a word until Daniel was finished. Then she said, "I still think we should try and contact Teal'c. He might know where this time machine is. He might even get us there, if we play it right. This could be our only chance to fix everything."

Avoiding Jack's eyes, Daniel confessed, "I thought about that, too. But we have no idea where Teal'c is. Or Ba'al for that matter. They could be everywhere. And the Asgard won't support us in trying to find them."

"There has to be a way. This is as close as we'll ever get to being able to do something about it."

"If we find the machine, are you sure you can re-set it?" Daniel knew she was their best shot.

He hadn't deliberately tried to betray Jack when they left Earth. But maybe on a subconscious level Daniel had always been waiting for his chance to get Sam in. If anyone could calibrate a time machine it was her.

But they didn't have a plan. Didn't know where to locate this time device. So it really only had been a bold move without real strategy behind it.

"I don't know until I've seen it," she said, frustrated.

Daniel opened his mouth to reply...

"Hey!" Jack stepped between them, pinning Daniel with a glare, daring him to say something, anything.

Daniel snapped his mouth shut, merely because he knew now wasn't the time to argue.

"The plan is to get that ZPM from Taonas, return to Earth and access the ancient outpost. When Ba'al comes, he'll have a nasty surprise waiting for him. No trying to find the time machine, no tinkering with the timeline. Those are standing orders." His voice was hard, final.

"We don't even know where that time machine is, sir," Sam replied coolly. "So we don't have another choice than following those orders... for now."

"I just thought I mention it. What's your rank again? Colonel?"

Stiffly she rose from her chair, facing him. "I don't have a rank here. I don't even have my real name here – sir."

Daniel watched them, intently. Sam hadn't forgiven Jack for walking out on them on that submarine. She had slipped back into chain of command and functioned like part of a well-oiled machine on Dakara. It was what she did. Being a soldier, being able to assess situations and adapt, making the right choices. But now that the situation was under control for the moment, she had to get the anger out of her system.

And a part of Daniel still didn't mind this Jack having his butt kicked.

"You have it back now, Colonel Carter. And the two of you better stick with the plan."

"Sorry, sir. You're not my commanding officer. I'll do what I can to help with _your_ plan. But if – along the line – we have the opportunity to erase this timeline, I'll do it. I owe it to a lot of people out there." She stood her ground and Daniel admired her for it, knowing how hard it was for her to do this. Dismissing Jack O'Neill's orders came a lot easier to Daniel than to Sam, who had drilled into her the chain of command. It probably helped her that this Jack wasn't theirs.

"Daniel?" Only Jack could put that much impact in just saying his name. A question, a warning, a tiny bit of uncertainty, too, so faint only Daniel would hear it. All in one name. All in one look.

He felt his own face harden under the general's stealthy glare.

He wasn't Daniel's Jack.

And even _if_it had been his Jack. Sam was right. He shook his head. "She's right. And you know it. If we have a chance to amend this, we will." Then why did the cold scathing glare _this_ Jack gave him cut so deep. Why did he feel like a bastard when he looked _this_ Jack square in the eye, saying, "I'm sorry, but that's how I feel about it, too. You know that. Don't pretend you didn't know."

"You set me up. You didn't need her to make that weapon work," Jack said in a deadly voice.

"Jack..."

Why did it HURT so much when Jack turned away without another word? But Daniel was used to hurting. He pushed it away. He'd deal with the hurt later. Now wasn't the time.

Thor's face appeared on the screen at the opposite wall. "Proclarush Taonas is in our sensor range now. The planet is guarded by Al'kesh. They didn't detect us yet, but will do so once we move into their scanner range."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Daniel? Al'kesh?"

"Goa'uld ships. Big ones."

"Plasma weapons, ring transporter. The Al'kesh is a large ship, similar to a Ha'taks, which are the Goa'uld mother ships," Sam provided automatically.

At the same time they were presented with an Al'kesh up close on the screen. Jack let out a low whistle. "That's impressive. How many?"

"Two. It is part of Ba'al's fleet. Apparently they know about the ZPM."

"Can you beam us in?"

"I am able to transport you directly into the outpost," Thor said. "But you need to be fast in retrieving the ZPM. The Al'kesh's sensors will detect us any moment. On the console before you, you will find a stone. Use it to hail me once you have retrieved the ZPM and I will try to transport you back to the ship as soon as possible."

"There was no breathable atmosphere on the planet the last time we were here," Daniel chimed in. "Until Jack used the Ancient chair to fix it."

"I have designed hazmat suits after scanning the planet," Thor reassured them and when his image disappeared three silver hazmat suits materialized on the floor next to the chairs. Jack went over to the computer console, picking up the stone

"Daniel..." Sam picked up one of the suits, fingering it thoughtfully. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. "If we could use the ZPM as bait to talk to someone on those Al'kesh's..."

"Put those on," Jack ordered, all stunned amazement, faked or otherwise, about everything that had happened over the last few hours, gone. His face was grim.

"Jack! Help us!" Daniel picked up on what Sam had said and while it was a bold plan it might work. If Jack played along. "Please. I don't think Ba'al is on one of these Al'kesh but maybe one of the other system lords is. IF we can offer the ZPM and convince whoever is in command here to turn against Ba'al... or give us information on where to find him and Teal'c, we might have a chance to fix the timeline."

"The other system lords would love to see Ba'al fall. The ZPM means power," Sam said. "You have to help us, sir!"

"Why?" Jack snapped at them.

"Because it's the RIGHT thing to do," Daniel exclaimed.

"We've been through this! Put those suits on!"

They donned the suits silently, Daniel struggling with his leg for a while. Jack looked the other way, not giving him a hand and Daniel, while he'd never ask for help on his own, was hit by this rejection harder than he'd admit.

He stomped all these feelings down. Jack shouldn't have so much emotional power over him. Especially not this Jack.

Sam reached out for him, a question in her eyes, but he turned away and gritted his teeth. "Thanks. I'll get it."

And he did.


	3. Uphill Battle

**THE ROAD TO FOLLOW**

**III**

**UPHILL BATTLE**

It was dark and quiet inside the deserted outpost of the Ancients, the beams of their lights scurrying over walls, their boots leaving footprints in the dust on the ground.

Daniel watched Jack wandering over to the chair, stopping in front of it.

"Now what." Jack's voice was too loud over the radio in the suit, causing Daniel to wince.

"Sit and concentrate on basic things first," he said. "Breathable air, lights..."

Jack settled in the chair, putting his hands on the armrests.

For what seemed to be an eternity nothing happened.

Then the lights flared up; first the chair, the floor underneath it, then the headlights. Jack removed his helmet and put it next to the chair.

"Think about the ZPM," Sam instructed as they took off their own helmets.

Jack didn't reply, didn't hesitate or ask any question. He ignored them, closed his eyes and got the hang of this pretty fast.

Daniel was mesmerized by the memories flooding his mind. Déjà Vu... How the cold lights from the chair had drawn out every detail of Jack's face, every line, his angular sharp features, the small lips, the strong chin... his hair appeared white... his long slender fingers on the arm rests... Daniel remembered how vulnerable Jack had been under the influence of the Ancient repositories. Both times the device had somehow stripped away the hard shell, had left Jack without his self protecting sarcasm and the masks he'd been shielding his true self with for so long... had given his eyes a softness only Daniel usually got to see.

This Jack almost looked the same. Only he wasn't under the influence of the repository and there was nothing soft about him now. He was angry. Pissed beyond anything. And that was why he didn't ask any more questions or make any smart remarks. He just acted.

The panel in the floor opened and Jack left the chair and went over to pull the ZPM out of its hiding place. Then he just stood there and gazed at it.

"That's it," Daniel said.

The communicator stone beeped and when Jack pulled it out of his suit, a flickering image of Thor appeared, hovering in the room. "My ship is being attacked by one of the Al'kesh. Remain your position and I will try to return to you as soon as possible."

The transmission was interrupted before either of them could answer.

"Crap," Jack hissed.

"If we go out there now and surrender we might be able to use the ZPM to our advantage. It's a slim chance but it's the only one we have...," Sam said urgently.

"Yah, or we might all be dead," Jack snapped.

"I don't think so. And once we fixed the timeline..."

"Once you fix your precious timeline we'll be dead anyway. Right."

"No. No, you won't. You'll still be here, just differently," Daniel said. _WE will be different. _In a childish attempt he tried to will Jack to read his thoughts _We'll be together then. We were so close to finally bringing peace into this galaxy, so close to start a life together. So damn close._

"Yeah, well, see, that's just not something I consider an option."

"Jack..."

"Hold it. Right there. I don't wanna hear it." Pursing his lips, Jack walked back to the chair and settled into it, ZPM firmly held between his thighs so he had both hands free for the arm rests. "Let's see what else we can do around here."

His fingers were drumming on the hand panels now as he tried to concentrate.

"It won't work without the ZPM. It's the place's energy source," Sam said.

"I don't..." a part of the wall began to glow yellow, "...think so." Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, Jack looked like he was searching for something.

The glowing wall sent out spirals of light, whirling among and into each other, reminding Daniel of several ascended beings in their pure form. But he realized they weren't. It was just another form of Ancient defense mechanism. Something like an emergency system. Of course. All outposts must have their own emergency defense system in case the ZPM was damaged... but Daniel felt like Jack had unleashed something he couldn't control...

"Jack!" He yelled. "What are you doing?"

The spiraling light suddenly shot upward and, with incredible speed, disappeared through the ceiling.

Jack opened his eyes. "Whoa!" He jumped up and grabbed for his hazmat helmet. "Put them on! And GO!" He jerked the communicator stone from the suit and hailed Thor. "We need to get outta here now!"

As he and Sam put on their helmets, Daniel _knew_ it wasn't going to happen. The outpost was already crumbling around them, huge pieces of the walls collapsing, crashing to the floor... Thor had to leave, get out of range, or he was fighting the two Al'kesh... It'd be too late and whatever Jack had done would probably kill them all...

He was still running as best as he could when the white light engulfed him.

###

"So... that's weird." Jack gazed at the Al'keshs hanging motionless in space. "Why aren't they moving?"

"They seem to be frozen in place. The energy beam from the planet engulfed them. Since then they have been motionless. I cannot hail them even though I can still detect many life forms on board."

"A force field," Sam suggested.

"It is likely."

"Sitting ducks," Jack said.

"I am not familiar with that kind of spaceship," Thor said, blinking.

"Huh? Oh. It's just an expression." Jack patted the gray alien's shoulder, then removed his hand awkwardly.

Thor's blinking became a little more animated. "I see."

"Why aren't we frozen?" Jack asked, puzzled.

"The weapon sensors of the Ancient outpost might have recognized me as an ally," Thor assumed.

"This is different from the drones we encountered in Antarctica," Daniel said. "We didn't run into this weapon before. When we were on Taonas the first time, Jack only got the ZPM. We didn't have much time to explore the outpost any further."

"I will try to modify my ship's sensors so I can upload the weapons matrix. This might take some time," Thor informed them. "O'Neill. Did you gain any knowledge about the weapon when you activated it?"

"Nope, sorry, I got nothing. I was thinking we needed to defend this place and that a huge honkin' space gun would be just the thing."

Sam touched his shoulder, whispering, "Daniel... can we talk somewhere?"

He quietly ushered her off the bridge while Jack was still talking to Thor. They hurried down a corridor and into the next room which turned out to be a small storage compartment. Once the door had zipped close behind them, Sam started pacing.

"Ba'al must know by now we've been on Dakara," she said, eyes dark with worry.

"I know."

"It's only a matter of time until he attacks Earth."

"Yesss, that's why we got the ZPM." Daniel hung his head, arms wrenched around himself, a dull feeling of loss at the pit of his stomach. "I'm sorry, Sam. There's just nothing we can do to reach Teal'c unless we know where he is. But even then... how slim are the chances of convincing him in time? Ba'al is offering him what he wants most. Even if we're able to contact him... giving him reason to believe us is going to be very hard."

"You know, if we activate the weapon in Antarctica and Teal'c is on one of Ba'al's ships... it's going to kill him."

"If Ba'al comes to Earth, Teal'c will most likely ring down to lead the troops. Taking over the SGC," Daniel said thoughtfully.

"Of course..." Sam exclaimed. "That's it!"

He raised his head. "You think..."

"Yes! If Teal'c is on Earth to take over the SGC we have to go there and talk to him. Tell him about Ba'al's lies and false promises. And that in our timeline the Jaffa are already free."

"And... and and and... if we're able to convince him he might lead us through the gate to the planet where the time machine is..."

"Provided he knows where it is," Sam said. "But as Ba'al's First Prime he might."

"Yeah. He might," Daniel whispered, the feelings of hope and dread fighting for domination. He wanted this so bad. Wanted to fix it. Wanted to turn it all back. To get back his life, his work, his achievements, his...

His Jack.

But he had helped open the gate for these people, had been an active part of this timeline's SGC. Had found Janet again... had learned how to cope with his leg, learned how to move on... He had a life here now.

It didn't feel so faked anymore.

But it was. Gritting his teeth, he pushed all his doubts aside.

It was the right thing to do. And his old life was the one he wanted. His old life was the "real" life he had lived, were the real battles he had lost and won...

"What are you two doing in here?" Jack stood in the doorway. Daniel couldn't see his face in the shadows of the corridor, but his voice was cold enough to turn water into Popsicles.

"Talking," Daniel said, equally as cold.

"Well, tea time's over. We're having a problem. Get to the bridge." He turned on his heel and left.

"Is it just me or is he even more bossy than ours?" Sam muttered.

"He didn't have the joy of working with us for eight years. I think he's spoiled," Daniel joked despite not feeling like laughing at all.

###

They were everywhere.

Daniel didn't think he'd ever seen that many Ha'taks and Al'keshs in one orbit.

And he had seen a lot.

Beneath them, Earth hovered, blue, green and white patches... An insignificant little planet in the solar system.

_The universe is vast and we are so small. _

"Ha'tak literally means "pyramid ship". The pyramid can be considered similar to the exposed superstructure of a naval vessel. Inside the pyramid are all major functions of the ship, including the bridge and cargo bays, docking ports and the hangar bays for Death Gliders. Several ring platforms exist throughout the ship..."

Thor was giving Jack a lowdown on Goa'uld ships. Jack stood next to the little alien, eyes locked on the screen, his lips a tight hard line. "Nothing we can do will stop them from blowing up the whole planet."

"I cannot help you. Even being here is a violation of the treaty between the Asgard and the Goa'uld. I have already interfered too much. We have to take into consideration the many worlds that are protected by the Asgard. We cannot abandon our responsibility for them."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Daniel asked.

"I can beam you inside the Ancient outpost," Thor said.

"You do that." Jack.

"No." Sam. "We have to go to the SGC."

Daniel held up a hand, his mind racing. "Thor, can you get audio or video from the surface? From the SGC and the outpost? We need to know what's going on there."

The Asgard inclined his head and moved his stone around the console until a flickering image appeared, interference and static running through the screen. What they saw was the gate room, heavily guarded by Jaffa. The walls were blackened from staff blasts.

"There," Sam gasped, pointing at the screen. "That's Teal'c."

Daniel squinted. "Are you sure?"

"He's the only one wearing a cloak. And don't you recognize his posture? It has to be him. Thor, can you get a higher res on the image?"

Thor moved his stone once more and the image cleared up enough for a better view. Daniel nodded. "That's him. If we could talk to him, convince him to call off his people and help us..."

They both turned as one and looked at Jack.

"Crap," Jack hissed. "Can you make out how many of these guys are down there?"

"There are troops all over your facility." Thor blinked, his six fingered hand pointing at the screen. "They have invaded the Ancient outpost as well. While they cannot use the weapon it will now be extremely difficult to overcome their strength in numbers to reach the ancient chair."

"Of course," Daniel whispered. "Ba'al knows all these things."

"I am picking up audio from the Ha'taks." Thor said. They all listened to the babble of many overlapping voices, speaking Goa'uld.

"What's going on?" Jack addressed Daniel.

"Ba'al is dead," Daniel translated, stunned. "Qetesh, _his queen_, is now commanding the fleets."

"Qetesh?" Sam paled. "Oh my god... Vala... You think she killed him?"

"Apparently Vala was never freed of Qetesh in this timeline. She might have killed him. But if she's really Qetesh she didn't do it to help us." _Another reason to fix it_, he thought numbly. "They're going to open fire any moment now. And if they do, nothing will be left to fight for." Again his eyes searched for Jack's, but Jack was staring at the screen, motionless.

"Aw, for crying out loud... Thor, can you beam us into the SGC's armory?" the general finally asked wearily, pressing the heel of his hand against his temple. "This is SO going down." Jack picked up the ZPM that was standing on one of the consoles.

Daniel let out a breath of relief.

"Yes. I have to leave though. I need to meet with the High Council. We have to send ships to our protected worlds which are now in danger of being attacked by the Goa'uld once this battle is over. I will do all I can to convince the High Council to include you as an Asgard protected world. If they agree we will be back as soon as the circumstances allow it."

"Thank you," Jack said sincerely. "We'll try to take it from here."

Thor inclined his head. "It is I who have to thank you. Good luck. Until we meet again. You might soon become the fifth race, a new ally in the battle against the Goa'uld."

###

Handing out a tac vest, radio, and P90 to Sam, Jack's eyes were on Daniel. "You think you can fire an MP5 and stay on your feet?"

"I can try."

Sam paused in putting on her vest. "Wouldn't Daniel rather have a zat... it doesn't have recoil..."

"Zat?" Jack frowned.

"We didn't get our hands on zats yet. Only a couple of staffs," Daniel said, weighing the MP5 Jack gave him. "Well, it has less recoil, doesn't jump as much as the P90. And it's good to shoot from the hip. I'll try. There's no time for training lessons I guess. Give me a second hand gun, too, just in case I lose mine." Jack handed him a Beretta and then ammo for both of them.

When the ground began to tremble, they stood still for a moment. Daniel listened to the unmistakable sounds of Goa'uld weapon fire, a high pitched howl, accompanied by wefts and the sounds of explosions.

Jack shouldered his own weapon and grabbed a backpack from another shelf. He shoved the ZPM into it and shouldered it. "You better be very convincing when you meet your Teal'c. Let's go." Once they left the armory, he clicked his radio. "This is General Jack O'Neill. Anybody hear me? I need a status report."

"This is Hammond. Jack, where are you?"

"Main armory. On our way to the gate room."

"How did you..."

"I'll explain later, sir. What's your position?"

"We're in the control room but we're losing ground fast. I had the president on the phone thirty minutes ago. Russia, Germany, Great Britain and China... troops of these Jaffa beamed down everywhere. However, so far they only opened fire at the SGC and bombarded McMurdo. We lost contact with the Ancient outpost twenty minutes ago."

"Roger that. You seen a big black Jaffa, golden tattoo on his forehead, name's Teal'c? He should be in the gate room..."

"As a matter of fact, he is. But how..."

"We'll go in and try to talk to him. If you have any chance to get out of here, I want you to go to the alpha site. Everyone."

"Jack, chances are that we won't go anywhere anytime soon." Hammond sounded tired.

"We'll see what the big black guy has to say."

"Good luck. But Colonel Mitchell is already trying and it doesn't seem to work," Hammond's voice sounded strained and Daniel suspected he was injured.

He exchanged a glance with Sam. Cam was here... the president probably decided it was time to recruit SG-1 back to active duty – now that it was too late.

"Yeah, well, Daniel here says it's worth a try. O'Neill out."

Then the first group of Jaffa crossed their way and the shooting began.

###

"You're from Chulak, your best friend goes by the name Bra'tac and you're the first prime of... Ba'al. Which isn't what you should be, by the way." Cam threw up his arms. "I told you, I know you pretty well. What's not to believe?"

"Ba'al is dead. Slain by his own queen Qetesh," Teal'c said, his staff pointed at Cam's mid-section.

"Why?"

"That is not of your concern."

"Okay... just making small talk here. Come on, Teal'c..."

Daniel, who had just entered the gateroom with Sam and Jack, coughed and Cam turned his head slightly to look at them. "Jackson! Sam... " His enthusiasm dropped a few notches when he made out General O'Neill, "Colonel."

"It's general now," Jack pointed out, his P90 ready to blow off some heads. Nobody started shooting though. The Jaffa waited for Teal'c's order and Jack apparently waited for things to unfold.

"Really?" Cam looked like he wanted to ask why someone would make this Jack general, but apparently decided to can it. "We're having a bit of a situation here, Jackson. Ba'al..."

"...is dead, yeah, I know." Daniel stepped forward, uncomfortably aware that five or six staffs were aimed at him. "Teal'c... I'm Daniel Jackson. I know you want to avenge Ba'al's death."

The giant black man didn't move from the spot. "Indeed."

"Okay..." Daniel licked his lips and slowly reached out both hands, offering his MP5 to Teal'c. "We'll surrender."

"We'll... what?" Jack snarled behind him.

Cam just gaped.

"Just... let me do this my way, Jack." _Come on, trust me..._ He stood there, his weapon in both hands, waiting for Teal'c to respond.

"Give me a reason why I should not kill you where you stand." Ba'al's first prime gave a curt nod to another warrior next to him. The MP5 and the Berretta were taken from Daniel and the other Jaffa stepped back.

"What I'm about to tell you sounds totally insane and you might just shoot me when I'm done. But all I ask from you is to hear me out and think about the fact that Ba'al knew a lot about this planet," Daniel said quietly.

"Continue."

"In another reality your people are free. In that other reality your son Rya'c is married to a young female Jaffa warrior and they will have children, born into a world without enslavement by the Goa'uld. Because the Goa'uld are defeated. All of them. You're not dependent on whether or ot Ba'al would keep his promises. You and Bra'tac are part of the Jaffa rebellion's leadership."

"Lies," Teal'c spat. But he didn't shoot and he didn't give the word to his men.

"Ba'al has manipulated time to use it to his advantages. He's been using you. His promises can't be trusted. Teal'c, Ba'al is a Goa'uld. He is no better than his fellow system lords. And now he's dead. Qetesh won't even consider letting the Jaffa go free."

"And you know that, don't you?" Cam lowered his weapon too now, finger still on the trigger though. "Deep down inside you know we're on the same page. You're a good..."

"Silence!" Teal'c growled. "Let him speak!"

Daniel felt the stares of many distrusting eyes in his back, it was hot in the gate room, the smell of burns from the staff blasts where they had hit the walls and floor was overwhelming. Several dead bodies were scattered across the floor, Jaffa and SF's who had guarded the gate. The burning smell from those bodies was even worse. "How are you going to avenge Ba'al, Teal'c?"

"There is a powerful weapon on a secret base on Praxyon. It can be used to battle Qetesh and the other system lords who now want to regain their territories."

"See, I don't think it's a weapon. It's a time machine. And if we're fast. If we all go to that planet, we'll be able to save everyone. And get rid of Qetesh."

"My concern is for my people," Teal'c said. "If you speak the truth, there will be no Goa'uld left? My people will be free?"

"Yes. They will. You've already established a temporary government."

"Why would I believe you? You would do anything to save your world."

"That's a good point." Daniel almost jumped at Jack's voice coming from his left. He watched silently as Jack laid down his P90 next to Mitchell's. "Then tell me ... and I have said this before to someone today... how would they know all this stuff about you? It's not like you people have come to Earth before, is it? But the really stressing part here is; we don't have all the time in the world to stand around and chat. I don't really know much about you or the Goa'uld or your royal highness lord Ba'al. Because unlike Daniel here, I'm not from that other, better, reality. But if we don't move soon, we'll all go to, well, hell."

Daniel watched the two men glaring at each other. He wondered if deep down Teal'c felt an echo of the strong bond between him and Jack O'Neill in the other timeline. Or maybe Teal'c just recognized a kindred spirit, a man who was a soldier and a warrior, equal to him. There was something going on between them, something Daniel could only describe as scanning one another. And then Jack said. "We can save this world _and_ your people. Help us!"

_I can save these people. Help me! Help me... _The Déjà Vu was so overwhelming, Daniel felt his eyes widen. A lifetime ago in that prison on Chulak, after Sha're and Skaara had been taken from him...

"Many have said that," Teal'c replied, face unreadable.

"She's already attacking. We heard the impact." Sam was standing between him and Cam now. "She won't spare anyone. Neither your people or ours."

Teal'c's eyes were still locked with O'Neill's. "But you're the first I believe who could do it."

Daniel felt goosebumps crawling up his arms as history seemed to repeat itself. "Then help us."

Sam began to lower her weapon as well. But before she could put it on the ground, Teal'c raised a hand to stop her. "You will need your weapons on the other side. If Qetesh realizes we went there, she will follow." He turned, calmly but urgently addressing his troops. "Jaffa! Hear me! I will take these humans through the Chappa'ai to avenge the death of Lord Ba'al. Spread the word. Those of you who do not choose to serve Qetesh may return to Chulak and let Bra'tac know we have been deceived. Bra'tac will know what to do. Do not return to the ships if you want to continue the quest for freedom. Use the Chappa'ai and save yourselves to fight another day."

"Chulak will not be safe, Teal'c," the Jaffa standing next to him objected. "Qetesh will go there once her battle here is over. Our families, our homes are on Chulak."

"Then we have to hurry so we can take our families to a safe place. Find Bra'tac and report to him." He turned swiftly, holding a small device in his hand. "This will activate the Chappa'ai." Pressing the device to the outer ring of the gate, he continued. "Lord Ba'al entrusted me with it in cases such as this. To defend his weapon."

"Wait..." Jack pointed over his shoulder at the window to the control room. "I want your word that my people will not be harmed any further. Let them evacuate, just in case we don't make it."

Again the two men locked eyes in a silent battle for trust. But this time it didn't last long. "Very well." Teal'c addressed the Jaffa standing next to him. "Let the Tau'ri go free."

"Yes, Master Teal'c."

The gate began to spin.

The howls and impact tremors increased.

When the gate opened and the wormhole established with its watery kawoosh, they started walking up the ramp, Teal'c taking the lead, followed by Cam and Sam. One by one they vanished through the event horizon until it was just Jack and Daniel standing in front of the shimmering puddle that still looked like water to him, even after all these years.

Jack seized his elbow and Daniel stiffened. "I can do this alone."

"And land on your ass again?"

"If I remember it right you landed on your ass right beside me on Cimmeria."

"Did your Jack ever work on your attitude problem?"

"Did your Daniel ever tell you not to be an ass?" He pulled his arm out of O'Neill's grip and stepped through.

###

They didn't fall over one another this time. Maybe it had something to do with Teal'c's device to dial the gate. Daniel didn't care one way or the other. He was just glad to come out on the other side on both legs... well, on his leg and the J-leg, anyway. He staggered a bit and a strong hand closed around his elbow once more.

"Easy," Jack mumbled.

"I'm fine," Daniel muttered.

"Whoa," Cam shouted, waving his gun around the facility they were standing in. "That's... big."

They were in a huge cavernous tower with three platforms separated by walkways from a central core device of some sort. There was open space above and below the assembly. One platform held the gate, one a ring platform, and one a control console.

"This is Ba'al's fail-safe. It has to be. I think this whole place is Ba'al's time machine." Sam slowly approached the center of the room. "This is like a giant super computer..."

Jack followed her cautious, weapon ready to shoot anyone who might show up. Long metal pathways led over an abyss towards a platform in the middle where the time machine sat.

Daniel and Teal'c eyed each other. "You are disabled," the Jaffa observed. "Did you lose your leg in battle?"

"You could say that, yes."

"Not many warriors return to battle with a handicap like this. You must be a man of honor and great skills. The one called O'Neill, your leader, has great confidence in you. It is why I believed you."

"Thank you, Teal'c... You, Jack... O'Neill... , Sam and I used to fight the Goa'uld together. Mitchell too. We used to be a team. I know it sounds strange, but it's true."

They had reached the machine now. Sam already studied the consoles while Jack hovered at her left and Cam at her right side.

Teal'c let his gaze wander up and down the time machine. "This is the secret for what Ba'al was murdered. Qetesh will come here to use this device for herself. That cannot be allowed to happen."

"If you let us use the device we can return history to the way it was meant to be," Sam said.

"The Goa'uld will be gone. My people will be free."

"Yes. I promise," Daniel said. "You can do this, Sam? Right?" He approached the others at the computer console, peering over Cam's shoulder.

"Just give me a few minutes to figure out exactly how it works," she mumbled.

"That may be all the time we have. By my reckoning Qetesh will leave the destruction of Earth to the remaining fleet and come here any moment."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Daniel. "She needs a few _minutes _to figure THIS out?"

"She's good." Cam shrugged.

"Very good." Daniel nodded.

"Right. Scary might cover it better." Jack shook his head and left them, walking around the platform, then calling out from somewhere. "There's something here. Looks like what you described as ring transporters to me, Daniel."

He and Teal'c joined Jack, who pointed at the rings on the ground. "Indeed," Teal'c confirmed.

"Is there a way of disabling them?"

"Only if you find a control panel," Sam called from her place at the computer console. "The rings can be activated by a wrist-worn device, a button on a ribbon device, or by ship cockpit controls. You best chance is to fire into the beam as soon as the rings materialize. They operate relatively slowly, with several seconds required between activation and dematerialization. During this period, the persons traveling are vulnerable to attack from outside,..."

"All right, got it." He lowered his voice, asking Daniel, "Is she always like this?"

Daniel shrugged. "She's just giving you information."

"She's giving me a headache."

"That, too."

Teal'c left to join Sam and Cam at the time machine.

Jack put his hand lightly on the small of Daniel's back. "Hey, look, just in case this time fixing will work..."

"Everything's going to be fine," Daniel said quietly.

"Will you remember this?"

"I don't know."

"You do understand I had to try doing this my way, don't ya?" Daniel felt a warm hand sneaking under his jacket and shirt, fingertips ghosting over the skin just above his BDU waistband.

Closing his eyes against the small spark of sensation at Jack's touch, he nodded. "I know. I'm... I'm sorry, in a way."

"This is the only life I know. And after you told me... about his Charlie... I thought I could go and try to put things right between me and my kid, once this is over."

"Jack, I..." He didn't know what to say, realizing again there was no right or wrong here. Maybe they _were_ arrogant to believe their timeline was the right one and they should fix it regardless what it meant to all the people who grew up and had a life in this one.

While, on the other hand, so many lives they saved in the other timeline would be lost if they didn't fix it.

"But it's the right thing to do." Jack's hand was still on Daniel's skin, under his t-shirt.

Daniel licked his lips. "Yeah."

"So is this..." Jack's other hand cupped Daniel's face, gently tilting it up. When their mouths met it was only a brief brush of lips, warm and dry. "I had to know how it feels." There was regret and longing in those dark brown eyes for a moment when Jack let go of Daniel's face. Grief, too. His hand lingered on Daniel's hip a bit longer, then it was gone.

"You'll know again," Daniel whispered as a little part in him seemed to shatter.

Jack stepped back, loudly calling out to the rest of their team on the other side of the time machine. "Mitchell, get over here! Daniel'll help Carter with the doohickey."

Sam barely looked up as Daniel and Cam switched places. She stared at the screens and buttons, muttering under her breath. "There must be satellites orbiting every one of these stars. There's hundreds of them. Every one sending back real time telemetry to this computer through subspace. We're looking for something specific..."

"Solar flares," Daniel said.

Sam tapped a few keys on the console, then touched the screen in several places, enlarging the image of a sun with erupting solar flares. "Exactly. Until now the only way we know how to travel back and forward through time is using a wormhole with a ... "

A bright white light shot out of the computer screen. Daniel and Sam stared at the symbols scrolling down the screen, then flicker and change patterns, then scroll from left to right before they changed patterns again and scrolled from up to down.

"Oh-oh," Sam uttered.

"Oh-oh is bad?"

"I think so, yes."

"Oh-oh."

A holographic Ba'al appeared, hovering in front of them, looking smug and not in the least concerned. "If you receive this message I will be dead. Whether you are Teal'c, Qetesh, or ... against all odds... SG-1... doesn't really matter. You failed to type in the password. I will not allow the timeline to be corrected."

"Incoming!" Jack yelled from behind the obelisk. The rings were activated.

"By trying to manipulate this device you triggered the self destruct mechanism. Before you face death I want to share with you that while I died, one of my clones is left to continue my work..."

Sam began typing madly on the keyboard.

Daniel raised his MP5.

"Here is a personal message for O'Neill, should he be with you... I'll meet you in Netu..."

Gunfire and staff blasts made it impossible to listen to the rest of the message, but Daniel didn't really care. Gripping his weapon more tightly, he fired at three Jaffa who stormed toward them.

Screaming and shooting, swishing energy blasts, more screaming, bodies falling heavily to the ground, some stumbling over the edge, vanishing into the darkness of the Abyss.

The rings were activated once more.

Jack kicked a staff out of a Jaffa's hands just as he was firing at Mitchell. The Jaffa lunged for Jack, grabbed his backpack and together they went to the ground, Daniel saw a knife's blade blink and it took him all his willpower not to be distracted by the fight. He had to continue shooting...

"I can't stop it!" Sam yelled. "It's already counting down!"

Then she was at his side, firing at more Jaffa. "We have to get out of here!"

"Where to?!"

"Through the gate! There's no other way!"

They stood back to back, shooting like crazy at the Jaffa who seemed to multiply by the minute. Finally they slowly made it over to where Jack, Teal'c and Cam were trying to put as many of them out as possible. Apparently Jack had gotten rid of his attacker.

"What?" Jack.

"Self destruct!" Sam.

"How long?!" Jack.

"The countdown is in Goa'uld, but I recognized it..."

"Three minutes." Daniel was firing randomly now, the Jaffa a blur to his eyes, his only concern not to accidentally hit one of his teammates. "Someone should start dialing the gate!"

Teal'c, whirling around like some ballet dancer performing a particular difficult pirouette, threw the dialing device at Cam who was closest to the gate.

"I'm on it!" Cam started running, firing backwards. "Where to?!"

"Earth!" Sam flew backwards as the wrong end of a staff weapon hit her in the chest, her eyes wide with pain and surprise. She crashed to the floor and then Jack was there, pulling her up, pushing her out of the way, taking down the Jaffa who had hit her.

"It is not safe there. If Qetesh did not destroy your planet by now she will have sent down more troops. Not all of them will follow my orders and leave. You will be killed where you stand," Teal'c said. Even when he shouted his voice seemed to be calm, something Daniel had always admired. "Dial Chulak. I ordered my people to go there, too."

"Do it!" Jack hollered.

"But we have to try... the Ancient outpost..." Sam coughed, clearly in pain, then grimaced and coughed again. "Holy Hannah."

"Is there any chance we can get through to the outpost, Sam?" Mitchell yelled from the gate.

"I'm not sure, but..."

"For crying out loud! Dial Chulak. NOW!" Jack roared, still shooting. A new group of Jaffa materialized.

Suddenly the firing stopped, nobody ringed in anymore.

_They must have detected the building energy with the ship sensors and know it'll blow up_, Daniel thought, pushing his glasses back on his nose.

Smoke and the smell of burnt flesh made him want to retch. Not even years of battle experience made the stench less disgusting or the fighting any easier. Daniel wasn't born to kill. Even after ten years of being in the field he didn't see himself as a soldier. He'd survived. And he had learned to kill if he needed to. There was nothing glorious or heroic about it, but he'd accepted the exigency of killing in order to come home alive. And to help his teammates come home alive. He looked for other ways, still tried. But sometimes when the others shot first and started asking questions later, not even thinking on his feet helped. So he preferred to shoot back, as opposed to ending up dead. Even Daniel could only ascend and come back so many times.

The gate opened.

"Go, go, go, GO!" Jack ushered them out of there, staying behind Daniel while everyone else was ahead of them.

The metal ramp began to sway under their feet as the first dull explosion came from somewhere deep down in the tower.

Daniel lost his footing, felt his J-leg uselessly scraping over the floor, saw the ground closing in on him as he fell. Another explosion, louder this time. Then two strong pairs of hands jerked him upwards, half carrying him to the gate.

_We sure had had a lot of close calls on this trip_, Daniel thought hysterically as he was swallowed by the wormhole.

###

He still hung between Jack and Teal'c when they came out on Chulak. They lowered him gently to the ground while Sam and Cam surveyed the area. Nobody guarded the gate. Dead Jaffa lay on the ground and above them a glorious sun rise painted the horizon red and orange, a beautiful view no doubt. But Daniel immediately felt the chill seep through his clothes despite the warm colors of the sky.

"Looks like someone did the dirty work for us," Cam said, grimacing at the bodies scattered in the clearing. "Any idea who did this, Teal'c?"

"These Jaffa had to die because they did not choose to fight for their freedom," Teal'c replied stoically.

"You mean your own people killed them when they came through the gate from Earth?" Jack's eyes narrowed.

"Indeed. We cannot stay here long. Allow me to carry you, DanielJackson."

He knew he would slow them down, there was nothing spectacular about that. So he just nodded and gritted his teeth as the giant man picked him up like a puppet and settled him across his bulky neck.

Jack raised his left eyebrow. "What? No attitude?"

"Bite me," Daniel said sweetly, baring his teeth.

"Follow me," Teal'c ordered and began to jog across the clearing like Daniel weighed nothing.

Jack was to their right, eyes darting everywhere at once, P90 ready. Cam flanked them on the left and Sam followed closely. Daniel, from his delicate position, scanned the tree line ahead. Just because he was immobile at the moment didn't mean he couldn't watch out.

They reached the trees and Daniel tried to keep his head low so the branches wouldn't lash into his face as they moved through the forest. Somewhere a horn blared, the call of the temple, summoning the priests to worship their god.

Ba'al, not Apophis. Or Qetesh now. Daniel wondered if the Chulakian already knew Ba'al was no more and that they now worshiped a goddess. If some of the Jaffa guarding the gate had survived and escaped Teal'c's people, word must have traveled to the temple by now.

The horn blared again.

Teal'c stopped, listening. "The death of Lord Ba'al is announced. The priests will now prepare for the arrival of Qetesh to await her blessings."

_Vala_, Daniel thought, _it's Vala in there somewhere. Will she ever be freed now? With the time machine blown so many things will stay unsolved, so many people lost. _

And if Qetesh really had destroyed Earth not even Charlie O'Neill might be alive anymore.

"We cannot go to the city. We have to move to Cham'ka Groves. There we will find shelter. Many of my brothers live there."

"A village?" Cam asked.

"A training camp. We will be safe there for the time being." Teal'c lowered Daniel to his feet. "I believe it is safe for you to walk now, DanielJackson." He bowed his head respectfully.

"Thank you, Teal'c." Adjusting his jacket and weapons Daniel fell into step with Jack and Cam. As he took a closer look at Jack, he noticed something. "What happened to the ZPM?"

Jack grimaced and shook his head. "Lost the backpack. That guy who attacked me wouldn't let go of it. Had to push both over the platform."

"You had a fucking ZPM? And you LOST it?" Mitchell snapped, then added a frustrated, "Sir?"

Jack didn't reply and marched on with gritted teeth. Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose and sighed. "This is a bad, bad day." When Mitchell just stared at him, he shrugged. "VERY bad."

Cham'ka Groves was a wide clearing deep into the forest, surrounded by lush green trees and almost unapproachable due to its thick tangled underbrush. A small path wound itself through the woods and led to a camp consisting of eleven tents, forming a square around a training ring, a huge fire pit and a stone well. Smoke and the smell of cooked food made Daniel realize how hungry he was.

As soon as they were spotted by other Jaffa, people came running from all tents and the training ring to greet Teal'c and ask if the rumors of Ba'al's death were true. Without pausing, Teal'c walked on, Jack and SG1 following in his wake. He shook hands, clapped shoulders and confirmed the news about Ba'al's death. "Bra'tac sent out men to summon our families and find others who wish to fight for our freedom. Now that Ba'al is dead Qetesh will prevent the Jaffa from gaining freedom," a bearded man said. Daniel recognized him as M'zel, who had been the spokesman for the Rebel Jaffa in the "old" timeline until he died on a Tok'ra ship through symbiote poison.

"I agree. I will talk to Bra'tac at once."

"Who are they?" M'zel's eyes narrowed as he stared at the rest of the group.

"They are of the Tau'ri," Teal'c simply said.

"The Tau'ri, the first race?" M'zel still sounded suspicious.

"Indeed. I brought them from their home world." Turning to SG1 and Jack, he nodded. "Come."

Teal'c's tent was spacious, with a fire pit in the middle and several pallets, thick blankets, and pillows on straw mats. Teal'c put his staff down and began to light a fire in the pit. "We cannot stay on Chulak for long. As soon as the first groups of Jaffa bring their families here we will leave."

"Where to?" Cam and Jack asked at the same time.

"Cal Mah. A planet not known by the Goa'uld," was the curt reply.

"So you didn't exactly buy the whole 'we'll set you free once Earth is conquered' speech?" Cam stretched out on one of the straw mats, placing his weapon to the ground.

"That would be foolish, would it not?"

"You have a secret base? In case Ba'al wouldn't hold up his end to the bargain?"

"Indeed."

"That's good. My grandma used to say, be prepared all the time," Cam said.

"Hey, for what it's worth. We're sorry the plan didn't work," Jack sat down heavily on another bed, slapping his hands over his face, groaning. "Crap."

"It was a plan worth trying. After Ba'al was murdered my options were limited, too. You have to find a new world and I will have to continue the fight for freedom."

"We should've gone back," Sam blurted out, angrily pushing a strand of long hair out of her face. "If your people followed your lead and returned to Chulak we probably would've succeeded in defeating those who were still there. A lot of our people were held in the control room. They could've backed us up."

"Qetesh bombarded the surface of your planet. Even if she did not destroy your entire world, your base would have been eliminated, your Chappa'ai buried beneath it," Teal'c said darkly.

"Our people were still at the SGC," Daniel said tiredly. "They might've had a chance to go through the gate before Qetesh destroyed it."

"If your people followed your orders, Hammond might have led the survivors to the alpha site." Jack eyed Teal'c wearily. "I need a way to find out."

"You cannot try to contact them now. You must accompany us to Cal Mah. From there you may dial your alpha site. I will leave you now. Rest." Reaching for his staff, Teal'c spun around and disappeared through the tent flaps.

Groggily pushing to his feet, Daniel cleared his throat. "Uh, guys, I need to..." He gestured at his leg. "Could you take a walk or something?"

"Sure, no problem." Jack got up. "Let's walk some perimeters. I'd like to know what's for dinner."

Once they were gone, Daniel hobbled to the fire pit and peered into the pot. It looked clean enough. He took the jug of water next to it and poured most of it into the pot. While he waited for the water to boil he settled down next to it and doffed his J-leg, cursing under his breath at the throbbing pain in his stump. But he had to take care of it now or it would get ugly. There was one clean elastic sock in his jacket pocket and a powder to put on the tender area of the stump to keep it dry. Daniel pulled out a clean cloth from another pocket and dipped it into the hot water to clean his prosthesis socket. He had to wash the other sock and make sure it could dry properly. With a sigh he looked at the irritated skin of his stump, not quite that bad yet, but... what was it going to look like in a couple of days from now?

###

They sat around the fire pit in Teal'c's tent, eating spicy Chulakian soup from wooden bowls brought by a woman a while back. None of them had a big appetite, but they all ate for lack of anything else to do. It was noon by now and Teal'c was still gone, probably organizing the evacuation of his people with Bra'tac.

"So you have an alpha site," Cam said into the brooding silence. They had all debriefed each other about the latest events and Cam had shared with them how he'd spent the last year and a half with some ordinary job and a neighbor named Heather he was dating. "That's something, at least."

"Yes. They finally started listening," Daniel said, rolling his eyes.

"A little late though. Which is why probably most of our people are now vaporized... or worse," Cam snorted grimly.

"Hey! We did what we could," Jack snapped.

"Apparently that wasn't enough," Sam said, then sighed. "It's useless to argue about it now. Ba'al took precautions so we wouldn't have been able to use the time machine anyway."

"If we had time to capture Ba'al before all hell broke loose, we might have had a chance to make him hand over the time machine." Cam put his soup down. "But some people rather walked out on us instead of believing us. And then other people didn't think it'd be necessary to get us into the new SGC."

"I doubt Ba'al would've been cooperative. And there's more... in his message before the time machine blew up he said there's still a clone out there." Sam nibbled at her bread, then grimaced and put it into the empty bowl. "I wonder where he is. And what he'll do now."

"Kill Qetesh," Daniel said. "If the clone is there to continue Ba'al's work, he'll kill Qetesh and come back as the god who fell and then rose again. Like a Phoenix."

"And if he does, he'll be more powerful than before," Sam said disgusted.

"Right. Which brings us to the next question here. What are we going to do about it?" Cam looked at Daniel and Sam expectantly. "We can't let that happen, can we?"

"First we have to find him," Sam said.

"Then we have to kill him," Daniel nodded. "And make sure there aren't any more clones waiting in the shadows."

"First we'll help these Jaffa guys evacuate. Then we'll go to our alpha site and see how many of our people made it. After that we'll take care of the Boccie clone." Jack said in a final voice.

"Boccie clone?" Cam raised his eyebrows.

"Ba'al as in Boccie," Daniel said. "Ba'al. Ball. Boccie. It's a... nickname. In both our timelines."

"Oh, okay. Well, Boccie will show up sooner or later if he finds out the real one's dead. His ego alone won't keep him in the shadows for long. And once we know where he is, we'll go and get him." Cam shrugged.

"Sounds like a plan," Sam said.

Jack stood. "I'll see if I can find Teal'c and this Bra'tac guy. Maybe they need some help. You three get some shut eye. I assume we'll be moving after dark."

Daniel started to get up, which wasn't as easy or graceful as it used to be. "I'll come with you."

"No you're not. You need rest."

"Jack, you'll need someone around who can translate certain words and knows about their ways. They're not like us, even though they look human. This is a total different culture than ours..." Now was really not the time for mother-henning.

"He's right," Cam said. "You know they carry around Goa'uld larvas in their belly?"

"I heard that, yeah," Jack replied. "And your point is?"

"We've been working with the Jaffa for about ten years," Sam explained. "They were our allies for a long time. Well not this Jaffa. But the Jaffa of our... you know."

"We were in battle with them side by side... which means we're the experts there. And you're... not." Cam sounded smug and Jack looked annoyed. Daniel would've thought of it as amusing if he wasn't so tense and exhausted.

"Oh-kay. Fine. Whatever. We'll all go."

"No." Cam was standing too now. "You and I go. Sunshine and Carter can take a nap. I think it's better if not all of us barge in on them."

"_Sunshine_?" Jack mouthed.

Daniel just groaned and shook his head. But he was standing on both feet now and he wouldn't stay put. "I think Teal'c and Bra'tac can handle all of us," he said. "There'll be time for a _nap_ later."

"I agree." Sam joined them at the entrance and together they trudged out into the bright sunlight.

###

It was afternoon when Daniel left Bra'tac's tent to take a break and get some fresh air. It was crowded inside. M'zel, Rak'nor, Gerak, Teal'c and Bra'tac were still organizing groups of Jaffa families. Jack, Daniel, Cam and Sam would help, guarding the gate during the night while the evacuation took place. Once Bra'tac had overcome his disbelief that a female, a disabled man and two Tau'ri warriors would be of much help, he had welcomed their offer. Jack had asked them to show him their prim'tas – which Daniel had expected. Both men had stoically done so and Jack had done the "ewww" and "whatever floats your boat" thing without falling in disgrace. Cam had looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him at that point while Sam and Daniel just went with the flow. Eight years of working under Jack's command had prepared them for moments as this.

Daniel actually took comfort from the knowledge that this Jack had his odd moments, too.

Every once in a while men would come into the tent, announcing their families had now joined the camp and were ready to leave. They were then sent to the North, West or South side of the camp to await the signal for their departure.

During the day more and more Jaffa had come to the camp reporting as they ringed down from the ships in orbit. Most of them had left against Qetesh's orders, some of them had come as Qetesh's escort and then left her when she had arrived at the temple.

Daniel suspected this rebellion wouldn't take another ten years to succeed. Ba'al had united them all, which they now could use to their advantage. In a way Ba'al had really done them a favor. It was much easier to round up the Jaffa to turn against Qetesh than it had been in Daniel's timeline when every Goa'uld had his own army and every group of Jaffa was loyal to someone else. Of course every one of the remaining system lords still had their own troops. But in the end they had all been first and foremost loyal to Ba'al, who had defeated the rest of the system lords and proven to be the only "real" god.

Yet, it was all going too fast. The Jaffa might gain freedom, but they were still dependent on Goa'uld larvas as long as they needed them to stay alive.

Daniel surveyed the busy activity around him. And while the new arrivals went to their assigned corners of the camp, other warriors – mostly teenage boys and girls – were still using the training ring to battle with one another. The air was filled with voices, the sound of training sticks clashing and of playing children.

"It's like a bee hive," Jack said next to him.

"Hey," Daniel said. "Are you done in there?"

"Taking a break. What's a Hasshak?"

"Bra'tac called you that?" Daniel couldn't hold back the grin.

"Ye-ah. He's also calling me 'human', which is a little annoying."

"A Hasshak is basically a fool, a weakling, a very annoying person..."

"Thank you," Jack grumbled, then raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't beat _Sunshine_ though."

"Jealous?"

"Nope. Just saying." Jack pursed his lips, took a look around and turned back to Daniel. "you like being Mitchell's _Sunshine_?"

Daniel pretended to consider it, then shrugged. "It's just a nickname."

"Like being called a Hasshak," Jack said dryly.

"Once he gets to know you better, Bra'tac will really like you." Daniel smirked. "He'll even call you by your name at some point. Which means he'll respect you as an equal warrior. But you have to earn his trust and respect first."

"Is it true he's over a hundred years old?"

"Oh yeah. Teal'c is, too. But Bra'tac is even older."

"Cool."

"The prim'tas give them a very long life span. In our timeline we developed a drug called Tritonin. It meant the Jaffa didn't have to carry a prim'ta anymore to sustain their health and immune system."

"That's great. Where do we find that stuff?"

"On a world called Pangeria. But the Tok'ra developed the drug to make it work for the Jaffa."

"Human!" Bra'tac's voice from inside the tent made Jack cringe. "It is time to continue!"

###

Daniel had taken cover behind one of the many granite blocks in the clearing around the Chulakian Stargate. Next to him Jack peered around the block. All was quiet now. Six Jaffa from camp guarded the gate openly, a demonstration of strength and a sign that the Jaffa still loyal to Qetesh were not in control of the gate. SG-1... yes, Daniel still referred to them as SG-1... was part of the backup troop in case the guards were attacked by Qetesh's men.

As expected, Qetesh had taken over Chulak as her own. Ba'al's heritage was her rightful territory now. As his queen she had the right to do with it as she pleased.

From those of Qetesh's Jaffa who joined Teal'c and Bra'tac's cause they knew she only took a small troop down to the planet and left the rest on her ships in orbit. Teal'c hoped that many more of Ba'al's former Jaffa would sooner or later join the battle against Qetesh as opposed to serving her.

The gate was open and its blue shimmering pool of light sent a ghostly glow over the clearing as people passed, packed with tents, weapons, food, clothes. Horses and goats were led through the gate, as were children carried by older teens or adults. They went through fast, without any delay, almost completely silent.

Jack's radio crackled. It was Mitchell to inform them the last group was on its way. Cam was at the tree line, together with four other Jaffa. "Teal'c will go with that group. Bra'tac and M'zel have gone to the city to round up more followers and to figure out what Qetesh is up to. They'll join us in the morning."

"All right. You and Carter keep your heads down. When everyone's through we'll move. O'Neill out."

"It's been very quiet for the last hour," Daniel murmured. Too quiet.

"Yeah. How ya doing?"

"Fine."

After a minute of silence, Jack said, "This is nuts."

Daniel carefully re-positioned his left thigh, suppressing a hiss of pain. "What?"

"Two days or so ago I was sitting behind my desk, being bored for the most part of the day and now I'm in the middle of..." He waved around the barrel of his P90. "...this."

"Ain't it fun?"

"God, yeah."

"You did _this_ all the time where I come from. Well until two years ago when you accepted promotion and ended up behind the desk."

"I know. And here I'm doing it all backwards. I'd spent years in the field and when I took over command at the SGC I thought I'll spend the rest of my life behind that desk." Jack sounded amazed at the irony of this. After a short pause he added, "How am I doing?"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Umm... " Daniel pretended to think long and hard, then shrugged. "Not so bad actually. Well, you lost the ZPM."

"Don't remind me," Jack growled.

"Not that we'd be able to use it right now..."

"There's that..."

They fell silent for a moment.

"I've been thinking..." But Daniel didn't hear what Jack had been thinking. A staff blast swished over their heads. Jack grabbed his shoulder and they went flat on their fronts as another salvo of blasts zipped past them. Daniel rolled on his side, MP5 ready...

...and once more they were in the middle of shooting.

He crept forward, firing into the dark from where the blasts were coming. He could feel Jack next to him, their elbows touching as they both sent a hail of bullets into the men who attacked the escaping Jaffa.

They couldn't see a damn thing. If they accidentally shot one of their own... but there was no time to think... no time to calculate risks... there was only time to act...

"There," Jack hissed at one point. "Left. At the tree line."

"I'll go."

"No, I..." A hiss cut Jack off and he threw himself sideways, firing from his back at the Jaffa moving towards him. The staff blast had singed his hair.

When he was sure Jack was okay, Daniel crept away from their cover towards another boulder, using his good leg and arms. He was vulnerable, his weapon useless around his neck because he needed both hands to move. Otherwise he'd fall flat on his face.

He pressed himself flat against the boulder, taking harsh gulping breaths as he fumbled for his weapon to get it ready.

He heard them coming. They didn't even try to be quiet.

A moment later Daniel knew why when a voice hollered through the night. "In the name of Qetesh, our gracious goddess, surrender now and your lives will be spared!"

The gun and staff fire ceased as a deadly silence settled over the battlefield.

"I am Her'ak, First Prime of Qetesh! Pledge your lives to our goddess and you will live to fight another day!"

Her'ak? The name sounded familiar.

There was commotion somewhere behind him and when Daniel dared a quick glance over his shoulder he saw a tall shadowy figure looming in the cold moonlight.

"Jaffa! Hear me! If you want to be free, do not surrender. We will not be enslaved any longer!" Teal'c raised his staff weapon over his head in a victorious gesture. "Fight!"

"Shol'va!" Her'ak spat, whirled his staff around and pointed it at Teal'c. "You will die. All of you. Fools!"

Teal'c fired, but Her'ak was fast and sought cover behind a rock, sending white energy blasts from there. Daniel's eyes searched for Teal'c, but he had vanished into the shadows.

The weapon silence was over.

"DanielJackson." Teal'c crouched next to him.

"Hey, Teal'c," Daniel muttered, keeping his eyes on the tree line where he could make out more movement. He clicked his radio. "Cam? Sam? Where are you?"

"We're relatively clear." Cam replied. "Seen Qetesh's new first?"

"He was Anubis's first prime in our timeline."

"Yeah, I know."

Right. Cam had read all the mission reports of SG1. Probably could recite from them in his sleep. Daniel allowed himself a moment of mild amusement.

"What's your position, Jackson?"

"Three o'clock from the gate. What's yours?"

"We've almost reached the gate."

"Anybody still over at the tree line?" Daniel's eyes were fixed on the forest.

"Not our people, no."

"Uh-oh. Lots of movement there."

"I know. Stay put. Mitchell out."

"You must give me cover," Teal'c's voice rumbled next to him.

"What? That's..."

"Do it now." Teal'c crouched forward and seemed to become one with the ground as he crept towards the trees.

"Oh, great." Daniel's arms tensed as he aimed his MP5. He wished for night vision glasses.

Several bright lights erupted from the darkness and Daniel fired in the direction they were coming from.

Clouds covered the moon now, making it more difficult to see. But it also served as a cover for himself. Scrambling to his feet Daniel followed Teal'c, sending bullets into the darkness. Death was everywhere; cut off screams and gargled yells echoed through the night and he prayed none of his friends were among those who fell. He pushed these thoughts aside. No time to dwell. And; Never Say Die. So, on he went, focusing on what was in front of him.

The clouds drifted and in a shred of silvery light he made out Teal'c somewhere in front of him, half hidden behind another boulder. At least he hoped it was Teal'c. The crouch and the way he held his weapon, butt end balanced on his left shoulder to keep the staff still, was familiar enough.

Daniel dove down next to him, ignoring the searing pain in his stump. "What now?"

Teal'c held up a hand to silence him, staff never wavering. Then he fired into the darkness just as three Jaffa emerged. Daniel took one out, Teal'c the other two.

When the clouds drifted further and the moon loomed in full, Daniel realized they had a straight view on the tree line now and their firing position was promising. Once more he hardened his thoughts, blocking out the niggling voice that these Jaffa were only victims of their beliefs and brainwashing. He had learned long ago that his compassion wouldn't keep those Jaffa from killing him in cold blood. There was a time for negotiation and there was a time for keeping his head down and playing the dirty game to survive. It was a hard-learned lesson, one Jack had tried to drill into him with more or less success over the years. In the end Daniel had capitulated some in the face of experience.

Yet, Daniel wished he had a zat. He had asked for one, but Bra'tac had said weapons were scarce and while the Tau'ri weapons were odd and unfamiliar, they seemed to be effective enough. He didn't quite get Daniel's point about stun rather than kill.

A staff blast nearly burned his nose, jerking Daniel from his thoughts. Damn, he couldn't afford to be sidetracked. He fired over the edge of his boulder, the rapid sound of his MP5 loud and brutal in his ears.

A hand settled on his back and Jack's voice yelled over the sounds of death and destruction. "Fall back!"

"Why?!"

"Everyone's through. Go. I'll cover your six."

"As will I," Teal'c said.

Carefully Daniel retreated...

And then Jack landed on top of him, pushing Daniel out of the line of fire. A hot surging pain shot through his shoulder and head... someone yelled his name... someone grabbed him and pulled him over the rough ground... Jack dragged him away, behind a granite block... Daniel's shoulder was burning... hot liquid fire...

"Daniel! You've been hit! Your jacket's burning!" Jack was doing something with his jacket, yanking at the fabric, jerking it away from the shoulder. Daniel screamed in agony. Jack's hands were on his face, stilling him. "Okay, 's okay... I got it... don't move... Daniel, you hear me?"

"Go... ." Daniel struggled for words. He gazed at the sky, the stars, the bright energy bolts zipping around everywhere. Almost pretty. His head hurt more than his shoulder now... his ear... something was wrong with his ear... Jack was pressing a hand over his ear. And the noises of the fight were dull now, like they came from far away...

"J'ck..."

"Lie still! You hit your head. Don't move."

"No," Daniel managed. "Go. I'll watch your... six..." Cold. It was cold and something tugged at him, tried to pull him away. His eyes were heavy, the stars became blurry...

"I hate to break it to you Danny-boy but you're hardly in the position to watch anybody's six right now."

For some reason Daniel thought that was funny and he wanted to laugh, but just as he felt himself being lifted, darkness washed over him and carried him away.

He wondered if Oma would have a thing for him in this timeline as well...

###

He went on a long journey through darkness, sometimes interrupted by lights and voices, faces, then more darkness. He wasn't always unconscious because there was a lot of pain and he felt the movement when they carried him somewhere. But then the darkness would come again and the pain would mercifully subside until he fought his back way to the light and voices and the pain for a while.

When he was somewhere between the light and the darkness, not really consciousness but not really out of it either, he thought about Oma and almost expected her to show up and offer him ascension. And when he drifted away into the black once more, realizing Oma wouldn't come, he felt an odd pang of betrayal and loss...

Once Daniel thought she finally came. He could feel a presence somewhere at the edge of his pain-filled mind, a tender touch of a hand that wasn't really a hand. A voice that told him his journey had just begun and wasn't over yet... then the pain was washed away and with it the brief something he felt...

Daniel opened his eyes and blinked against bright light. Something was wrong. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't swallow, he couldn't... then a voice told him to calm down and he was asked to blink once if he understood.

He blinked once.

He was instructed to breathe hard when they removed the tube, but he really didn't need the instruction. He reacted on auto pilot, been there, done that many times. He almost welcomed the soreness in his throat and the flaring pain in his shoulder and head. It meant he was probably through the worst.

Something cool touched his lips and he sucked in cold moisture.

Ice.

"Hey there," a very familiar voice greeted him. "How're you feeling, Daniel?" A small hand gently took his wrist and felt his pulse.

"Jan...?" He struggled with this. How could that be? Wasn't he on Chulak, being shot at... Didn't they just help the rebel Jaffa to escape? How... "How?" He tried to clear his throat, which hurt. Another ice chip was slipped into his mouth and he gratefully welcomed the coolness.

"Later. Now you need to rest."

He shook his head, willing the words to leave his mouth despite the pain in his throat and the dizziness. "Jack? Cam, Sam? Where..."

"General O'Neill is in the bed next to you. Colonel Mitchell and Colonel Carter are still on the planet they sent you two from. I'm sorry. I don't know all of it." She patted his shoulder. "I gave you something for the pain and..."

But Daniel already drifted off into some drugged nirvana of sleep.

###

When he came around again, he was looking at a gray ceiling with neon overhead lights. Not quite the infirmary, but... His shoulder was stiff and something stuck to the left side of his head. He tried to lift his head but it hurt too much so he gave up on that pretty fast. Then he looked down at his shoulder, catching the glimpse of something white and sterile.

Bandages.

He glanced around, the room. Unfamiliar, but with the typical equipment of the infirmary. He was in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV and a monitor.

"Doc!"

Daniel turned his head carefully to the right and saw Jack sitting up in a similar bed, hair mussed from sleep. He had gauze and a band aid over his left eye. Something about that was very disconcerting.

It was like the universe wanted to put things back into the right order. Daniel knew Jack would keep a scar on his left eyebrow.

He shivered.

Then he realized Jack wasn't wearing a shirt. Instead his ribs were covered in bandages. Black and blue bruises covered his chest and shoulders.

"Doc!"

Apparently he hadn't lost his voice though.

Janet hurried in, a frown on her face. "General, if you could keep it down a bit as long as other patients are asleep?"

"Well, I have some urgent business to attend to, and if you don't want me to walk around like a jaybird..."

"Didn't the nurse bring you a new gown?"

"Apparently not," Jack griped.

"Well, if you wouldn't have tried to get up on your own and accidentally ripped out your IV and spilled all the fluids..."

"Yeah, yeah, and I said I was sorry. And I really have to..."

"I'll be right back..." She hurried out again and Jack let out a huff of air, then winced.

Daniel cleared his throat. He was hoarse when he said, "You're still the worst patient."

Weary brown eyes were turned on him. "I just hate lying around here."

"Me too."

"How's the head?"

"I don't... I don't really know. Did I lose an ear or something?"

"Nah. Don't think so. But then I was out of it, too, so I wouldn't really know."

"What happened?" Daniel tried to turn on his side to have a better look at Jack, but his head and shoulder didn't like the idea of moving, so he remained on his back.

"Well, you were hit and I hauled you to the gate. Before I went through, I almost got roasted like a duck and someone managed to throw a knife at me. Got stuck in my side. We stumbled through the gate, came out and crash landed on some stone steps, you on top of me."

"Ouch," Daniel mumbled. "Sorry."

"The rest is a bit blurred. They brought us into a tent and some healer or priestess treated us. Kept us alive until Mitchell and Carter came through."

"I don't remember any of that."

"You were out of it most of the time. When I was awake enough to give the address of the Alpha site to Carter, they sent us through and here we are at Casa Fraiser."

Janet returned with a new green infirmary gown and Daniel watched Jack putting it on with a lot of cursing and groaning. He refused to let her help him though. Finally he crawled out of bed, moving like an old man, apparently in a lot of pain from the bruises and the stab wound. Janet accompanied him outside, patiently enduring Jack's ongoing rant as he slowly walked, one hand holding on to the portable IV.

###

They weren't allowed to walk around on their own. Jack because of his stab wound and Daniel because of his head and the slight swelling of his stump. It turned out that Daniel, when Jack had pushed him out of the line of fire, had crashed his head at the edge of a granite block. So the head injury didn't come from the staff blast after all. The remains of his leg looked raw and infected, but Janet assured him it was only a minor infection. The staff had hit his shoulder, burnt a nice hole into it, but while it was nasty and painful, he would live and heal.

He sported a nice concussion and the left side of his head had a deep gash down to his ear. Janet said he got lucky he hadn't lost it and Daniel laughed it off. He lost a leg. What was an ear? He still had another one.

They only got out of bed to use the lavatory, always accompanied by a nurse. The rest of the time they slept, interrupted by examination, taking pills, and having meals consisting of MRE-like food.

In between they talked.

"Did anyone tell you what's going on? How many made it here? What happened to Earth?" Daniel asked on day two. His voice was better now, his throat not so sore anymore.

Jack grimaced. "Hammond stopped by briefly when you were still in slumberland. Everyone who survived the attack at the SGC is here. McMurdo was destroyed. Russia reported attacks to Moscow and Leningrad. That's what I know."

"What about..."

"Daniel, I don't know. I've been stuck here with you."

"You saved my life," Daniel murmured. "Thanks"

"Well, I crashed your head against the granite block so I'm not so sure I deserve a fruit basket." Jack's eyes were full of warmth when he met Daniel's gaze over the distance between their beds. "Sorry about that by the way."

"You won't get one then." Daniel smiled, then pointed at the gauze over Jack's left eye. "You'll have a scar there." They weren't close enough to touch but he knew he would've touched it if they were... closer.

"Yeah. There goes my modelling career," Jack sighed, then shrugged. "I think that's scar number ... oh, forty-something."

"My Jack had the same scar."

"He's probably been as beaten up as I am. Got a lot of souvenirs from Iraq and some other assignments."

"Add eight years of gate travel to my Jack's scar-gallery."

Jack played with his IV line. "I'm probably too old for this kind of crap. Galloping all over the universe is more for guys like Mitchell. And you."

"We have to find Ba'al. Well, his clone anyway," Daniel said darkly. And that was just the beginning.

"I know."

Daniel shook his head. "I'm not sure you really understand. Ba'al destroyed a lot more than lives by altering the timeline, Jack. He destroyed alliances, intergalactic bonds, the whole development of the Jaffa race. We worked so hard to make all this possible. Not we as in the SGC or SG-1. But the whole network we were able to establish. All those years... and now we have to start from scratch."

He was tired. He wasn't sure he could do it all over again.

###

Bill Lee and Robert Rothman brought MRE cookies when they came to visit him. Both looked tired and ashen faced. "This whole place is a mess," Rothman grimaced. His eyes were bloodshot and his nose red and puffy. "And my allergies are acting up. Doctor Fraiser says we have to go low on the antihistamines so I'm supposed to stay inside most of the time. I... I don't know how long medical supplies will last. A year? Two? What then?" He threw up his hands and sneezed.

"Bless," Bill Lee muttered.

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry," Daniel offered. "But we're alive and not enslaved. That's... something?"

Rothman stared at him, then averted his gaze, blowing out a huge sigh. "You know what? You're right. You're absolutely right, Daniel. It's just... never mind."

Daniel nodded. "I know. It's hard. But we'll get through this." But he wasn't even sure if he believed it himself.

###

Sam was pale, her hands plucking at the bag of MRE cookies she had brought him. Daniel watched as she finally placed it on the nightstand next to the other cookie bag. She looked like a woman who hadn't slept in a long time, dark rings under her eyes, her hair brittle and dull. "There's good news and bad news. We can contact Earth," she said, not entirely enthusiastic.

"That's good, right?"

"Actually, it's complicated," she sighed. "Rodney and I got the MALP ready and sent it through. The Antarctica gate... the one at the new SGC... must be destroyed, so the other gate opened. The one that sank with the Achilles"

"But apparently it's still at the bottom of the ocean. There's no way we can send someone through there. There's only ice and water."

Staring at some point on the wall, Daniel remained silent.

"At least it means Earth is still there in one way or the other," Jack pointed out.

"They had already started to evacuate before the Jaffa ringed down and took over the SGC. The president said Ba'al didn't attack when he first arrived. He actually called from orbit. He must've altered a mobile phone."

"He has style. I give him that," Jack muttered.

"Ba'al wanted to negotiate our surrender and meet the president," Sam went on, ignoring Jack. "Then something must've happened because he said he had to go and hung up in the middle of the conversation."

"Qetesh," Daniel assumed.

"Teal'c filled in some blanks. He saw the actual murder. Qetesh stuck a knife into Ba'al and tortured him with the hand ribbon device, forcing him to order the destruction of McMurdo. Then she pulled the knife out and he died."

"Ouch," Jack remarked without feeling.

"Qetesh ordered the fleet to bombard Washington and other capital cities. She sent Teal'c and his troops down to take over the SGC and secure the gate. That's when the evacuation was already under way. They stopped people from going through the gate and took hostages in the control room. Once we went to Praxyon, the Jaffa left and allowed the evacuation to continue."

"So basically most of the SGC personnel are here, but other than that..."

"There were several planes on their way from Washington, Moscow and the capital cities of Canada, China, Germany and the UK. Some got hit and didn't make it, others were able to reach McMurdo, but McMurdo was destroyed... I don't know the exact numbers but..." She drew in a breath. "It doesn't look good."

In the following deadly silence, Jack suddenly asked, "When did you and Mitchell get back from Cal Mah, Colonel?"

She turned, gazing at Jack as if she saw him for the first time. "Six hours ago. I was assigned to help Rodney with trying to contact Earth when we got back. We also had some other minor technical problems to solve. Colonel Mitchell and Teal'c were in a briefing with General Hammond. We might forge an alliance with the rebel Jaffa."

"When was the last time you slept?"

Stiffening, she replied, "I don't remember, sir. We helped the Jaffa establish their camp on Cal Mah. There was a bad storm coming up after you and Daniel left. We had to work fast, putting up shelters and tents..."

"I haven't been out of this infirmary since I got here... how's the situation quarters-wise?"

"I learned the Alpha site was built as an evacuation complex. There are more than enough quarters for those who came through. There's electricity and running water as well..."

"Right. Get yourself assigned to a quarter and get some sleep. That's an order," Jack interrupted her.

"I don't think I can sleep..."

"Then let the nurse give you something. You look like the walking dead. We need you here, Carter. But not like this. I want you to get at least five hours of quality sleep." Jack pinned her down with a glare.

Clearly not happy about Jack's orders, she swallowed, patted Daniel's good arm and stood. "Yes, sir."

"And send the Doc in here on your way out, will ya?" Jack struggled to sit up, swearing under his breath.

Janet breezed in a moment later, asking what the emergency was. Jack started arguing with her, demanding to be released and declared fit for duty. "Make it light duty if you must. I need to do something."

"Me too," Daniel jumped on that ship. "I'm fine."

"You two are not fine. Far from it. And I'll release you in my own good time," Janet explained sternly. "You, General O'Neill, had internal bleeding from the knife stab and you, Doctor Jackson, still have a concussion and a nasty burn on your shoulder."

"Look, Doc. I'm in command of..." Jack started, but was interrupted immediately.

"General Hammond is in command of the Alpha site. And I am in command of this infirmary."

Jack exchanged a look with Daniel. "Who assigned her the job?"

Daniel shrugged.

Sighing, Janet shook her head, her voice softening. "Look, I know you want to go out there and help. I understand. But you won't help anyone here if you're not healthy. Give it time."

"That's easy for you to say," Daniel replied, somewhat desperately. "See, we'd be so much more help out there than in here. We'll just get cranky and whiny... okay, so he already is."

Janet snorted, then sobered and said, "General Hammond will come by and brief you tomorrow. Oh, and by the way, thank you for sending Colonel Carter to bed, sir. She was at the brink of total exhaustion." With clicking heels she walked out.

"Napoleonic Power Monger," Jack and Daniel said in unison, then looked at each other and snorted. It actually made Daniel feel a little better.

###

"We sent an UAV through." Mitchell handed each of them a folder with printed satellite pictures. "Sam and Rodney prepared it and that's what it sent back before it crashed somewhere."

Studying the pictures, Daniel felt a faint pang of hope and dread at the same time. Earth was still there, the Antarctic still white and cold. But there were dark areas where McMurdo had been, more black patches everywhere.

"We'll send another one through tomorrow," General Hammond said.

They were having a briefing in the infirmary, everyone who wasn't in bed perched on uncomfortable metal chairs.

"What are you going to send through?" Jack asked.

"An RQ-4," Mitchell answered. "It has indefinite range and the best sensor equipment. Sam and Rodney are figuring out how to make it water proof so it won't crash like the other one. The way up through the ocean was a bit tricky the last time."

"Global Hawk," Jack nodded. "That baby is powered by a Rolls-Royce AE3007H turbofan engine and carries a payload of two thousand pounds. Has carbon composite wings. Nice."

"Most importantly, it can fly over 36 hours without needing to be re-fueled. Colonel Carter and Doctor McKay are still working on modifying the sensors so we'll get better images and movement detectors," Hammond said.

"It's just a matter of a couple of hours, sir. I know how to do it, it just takes a little recalibrating." Sam looked much better today, the opportunity to do something useful combined with the sleep seemed to do the trick.

Once Hammond, Cam, and Sam had left, Daniel and Jack were served lunch. They compared what was on their trays, traded a chocolate chip muffin for brownies and Daniel tried to talk Jack into giving him his cup of coffee, which Jack refused to do.

"You've got your own coffee. If you call this broth coffee at all," Jack griped good naturedly.

"It's more water than coffee," Daniel agreed. "But since you don't like it anyway, why not give it to me?"

"You're an addict, you know that? All that Turkish Mocha you consumed..." Jack trailed off and grimaced. "Oy. Sorry. That was my Daniel. He was really..."

"So am I," Daniel smiled. "I love Turkish Mocha. And any other gourmet coffee."

"Sumatra Manderling?" Jack tried to raise his left eyebrow at him then winced and touched the gauze.

"Yeah." He sipped the infirmary coffee and grimaced. "I changed my mind. You can keep your coffee." Putting down the plastic mug he thought of his favorite coffee, suddenly realizing that he may never be able to drink it again.

If Qetesh had taken over Earth... Did the Goa'uld have a reason to keep coffee companies in business? Did they even drink coffee? Maybe Ba'al had, since he used to live on Earth for a while... Daniel blinked, a little embarrassed that he worried about coffee brands when his home world might be enslaved. But then it were the simple things that made you realize how profound changes are... like no more Sumatra Manderling or the fact that your favorite brand of chocolate wouldn't be in the shops anymore. Daniel wondered briefly how much of the cities had been destroyed, how much civilization the Goa'uld had left them? Shops? Theaters? Museums? Any... any cultural things? Did they blow up libraries, government buildings, subways... or did they just blow up randomly whatever they could?

No more pizza delivery... no more pizza... Depending on how much damage Qetesh did to Earth, human kind's whole culture might stagnate in its evolvement. Books, technology, education... it all might go backwards over the generations following the Goa'uld attack.

Worrying over coffee and pizza really was uncalled for, Daniel decided.

Heck, he didn't have a home anymore, not even a "wrong-timeline-home". None of them had.

He looked at his companion and sought odd comfort from the fact that he at least still had a "wrong-timeline-Jack". And that Sam and Cam were still alive.

###

"Once the hair grows back nobody will see the scar," Janet said as she carefully examined his head. "You really got very lucky there, Daniel." When she was done, she pulled off her gloves with a snapping sound and gave him a warm smile. "You can leave the infirmary now, but I want you to take it easy for a while. The stitches can come out in a week. And I want you to check in here every day so I can take a look at your leg. No prosthesis either, yet. Use the chair."

His shoulder was healing nicely, too, but he was still not back to 100 percent. Jack, currently leaning against the bed next to him, had the bandages off and the bruises on his chest had turned lovely yellow-ish and green colors. The scar over his left eye was still red and swollen, but the gauze was gone.

"That goes for both of you. Take it easy. Light duty only," Janet told them sternly.

Jack pulled on his shirt, pouting. "What? No paragliding? No swimming in the sea? No beach volleyball?"

"Even if we had a beach and an ocean, no," she said, not entirely able to suppress the smile.

Sam and Cam awaited them in the corridor, both dressed in green BDUs without SGC badges. "General Hammond awaits us for a briefing at 13:00, so we thought we'd give you the grand tour first, if you're up to it," Cam said.

"Sure, why not. Go ahead." Jack waved at him to take lead.

Jack wheeled him out of the infirmary and Daniel felt grateful to be able to leave despite having to sit in a chair. This, too, would pass. They had showered and dressed in fresh BDUs. Daniel wondered if BDU stocks had been part of the evacuation package. Thinking about that he realized he never had to evacuate before. Not in all the ten years working at the SGC. They had been very close a couple of times, but most of those times Daniel had been off world, being part of the team preventing the actual evacuation.

They had failed.

For the first time in ten years SG-1 didn't manage to save the day. The world. Whatever. Now, well, it wasn't the first time they failed in missions. But for the first time they didn't save Earth.

Just as when he first entered the SGC in Antarctica, Daniel noticed how huge parts of the alpha site facilities were still under construction. It only seemed like yesterday that he had tried to settle in on base. Now he was once again living on a construction area. Only this one was a lot bigger. He wondered if there was enough equipment to even finish some of the buildings. What about food and medical supplies? Clothes and furniture? How well had the Alpha site been stocked before the evacuation? What kind of equipment had already been here? Daniel knew the SGC had started building the site as soon as they found a suitable planet, and he realized what a great deal of work had already been done here.

They left the base through an elevator and a long hallway, passed guards and checkpoints just like they did on Earth.

Then they passed through a blast door and were standing in the middle of nowhere. Wide meadows and a concrete landing strip led to several hangars. At the horizon Daniel saw mountains and above them a blue sunny sky. Portable Quonset Huts stood everywhere, some in progress of being built, others already finished.

Cam and Sam talked about what had already been accomplished and where the problems lay. Like Daniel thought, food would be a long term problem, and medical supplies. Not at the moment, maybe not over the next year, but even the best stocked pantry would be empty without re-stock. There was no farming equipment, nothing to work fields with. All of that would've come through the gate at a later point. Only there would be no 'later' anymore.

They had sacks of grain, the ground was rich, and there were enough lakes and springs to water plants. But it'd take years to make it happen.

While Cam, who had taken over the wheelchair, clued them in on the plan to make allies they could trade with, Daniel watched Jack's profile as he walked next to him. Unreadable. That meant he either had zoned out the other two or he was thinking hard. Or he was just worried. Or all of the above.

Maybe he was thinking of Charlie.

###

"Your mission is simple recon, no interfering just yet," General Hammond repeated. "I know how you all must feel and I do feel the same way. But at this point our options are limited and I need you people to come back alive to report. You're the best I have."

"Yes, sir," Cam said, visibly unsatisfied.

"Understood, sir," Sam replied.

They could both see Hammond's point, whether they liked it or not. A Tel'tak was hardly a vessel you'd start fighting motherships with. But it was all they'd got and it was better than nothing.

After weeks of re-organizing a chain of command, working on the Alpha site construction and careful negotiations with the Jaffa rebels on Cal Mah everyone was exhausted, stir-crazy with the wish to do something and find out what happened to Earth.

This morning Teal'c had come through the gate with the first good news in what seemed to be an eternity.

They had a ship. A Tel'tak wasn't armed and therefore not useful in battle. But it could jump to hyperspace and bring them home.

Or whatever was left of it.

Teal'c bowed his head. "Bra'tac will await our arrival on Cal Mah with the Tel'tak ready for launch."

"And you are sure the ship won't be detected by anyone once you reach Earth?" Hammond's pale blue eyes rested on Teal'c.

"I am positive, GeneralHammond. The Tel'tak has a cloaking device that will prevent us from being discovered."

"It's a pretty safe bet as long as the cloak doesn't fail," Cam shrugged. "The Tel'tak isn't damaged, right?"

"It is not."

"Great. Then it shouldn't be a problem."

"Good. You have a go." Hammond's gaze lingered on Daniel who tried not to let the steam escape his ears. He probably wasn't very successful. "I'm sorry, Doctor Jackson. We have no idea to what degree health care is available on Earth should there be a problem with your leg."

"Well, I'm as ready as I can ever be," Daniel replied. God, anything was better than just staying put and waiting things out. He had proved he could go through the gate – if not as gracefully as the rest of the team. And yes, he knew he was dependent on them from time to time. But...

"Knock it off," Jack snapped. "We need you right here."

_Excuse me?_ "I'm ready." Daniel straightened, chin hardening.

"We haven't the slightest idea what might be left of Earth period. Aside from the fact that it's still there," Jack griped.

"I know that."

"So?"

"You need all the intel you can get," Daniel said, trying for patience.

"There's Mitchell and Carter. Lotsa intel," Jack snapped. "No need for you to risk your neck."

"Jack..."

"Gentlemen, the decision's made. Doctor Jackson will remain at the Alpha site and continue negotiations with the rebel Jaffa leader about an alliance treaty. Colonels Mitchell and Carter, I suggest you get ready to leave." Hammond rose and, giving them a dismissive nod, left the briefing room.

Daniel exhaled a frustrated breath. "Jack, you have to talk to him."

"No, I really don't." He turned to Sam and Cam. "Get ready. You'll move out at 18.00 hours tonight."

Sam and Cam exchanged a careful look She nodded and Mitchell replied with a, "Yes, sir." When their gazes shifted to Daniel there was something bordering on pity.

He was used to being pitied. To being put into cotton wool because there was apparently a limb missing from his body. He'd gotten used to the odd looks, the careful averted eyes, the forced smiles.

But coming from Sam and Mitchell it was like a slap in the face.

"Daniel?" She took a step towards him, but he turned away as swiftly as possible, cast Jack a deadly glare and stalked out.

He didn't need to listen to Sam telling him she was sorry. Didn't need to listen to Mitchell telling him his hands were tied and Hammond and Jack were right. Didn't need to hear another of Cam's grandma quotes either.

Actually, he never believed Cam even had a grandmother spouting that much wisdom.

Daniel kept walking down the corridor. He reached the elevator and took the turn up. When he left base a few minutes later he embraced the crisp fresh air. He stayed on the paved walkways spreading out between the huts like a spider web. He'd liked to just hike across the wide meadows outside the Alpha site complex – provided the guards would let him – but even with the J-leg walking was easier on concrete ground.

Damn.

They were right.

Sure, he had made it to Cimmeria and he'd done relatively okay on Chulak. But they'd always have to keep an eye out for him. He'd have to rely on them, would slow them down.

They couldn't afford taking him with them. It had been different when it had just been him and Jack. Jack had needed him and Daniel knew how to play his cards. He'd been able to provide valid intel and got them through to Thor.

However, he'd be useless if they were going to shoot their way through an army of Jaffa. He'd proved that, too, back on Chulak. They'd have enough on their hands covering each other without watching out for him, too.

But none of the rational reasons cut through the bitterness. And with it came the familiar feeling of returning numbness and being tired of it all.

He'd get over it. He always did. If he kept on walking for a while, until he was too tired to be mad anymore...

"DanielJackson."

He walked on, knowing Teal'c would catch up with him. He wasn't as fast as he used to be. Only a moment later, the large shadow fell over Daniel and they walked on in silence for several minutes.

"Do you know about kek?" Teal'c's voice finally penetrated the welcome stillness.

Daniel let out a harsh laugh. "Yes. I do. Weakness. It's for the cowards and the poor bastards who can't watch their backs. Jaffa despise kek."

"You fought well on Chulak."

"No, I didn't. I was shot. Jack had to pull me out of there by the scruff of my neck or I'd be dead now."

"Your friends are concerned for your well-being." When Daniel just clenched his jaw and walked on, Teal'c continued, "Jaffa cannot afford to be compassionate the way your friends are when in battle. Sometimes we have to leave men behind to die in enemies hands. Or on the battlefield."

"I know that."

"You traveled through the Chapa'ai with your fellow warriors, fought side by side with them despite your missing leg. They watched out for you."

"Teal'c..." Daniel stopped, carefully putting his weight on both legs. "What is your point exactly?"

"At first I did not understand why they wish you to stay behind now when they know you can fight and be a valuable part of their... team."

"How valuable? I got injured on Chulak. As I said... if it wasn't for Jack I'd probably be dead now. They can't afford to watch my six all the time."

"I am not familiar with the term 'watching your six'."

"Looking out for me. Keeping me out of trouble. Whatever," Daniel spat.

"Because of your leg."

"Yesss, Teal'c, because of my leg."

"You never were injured in battle before the loss of your leg?" Teal'c raised an eyebrow in a way only Teal'c could. And the pain of the loss of his friend, the Teal'c Daniel had known and worked with all those years, was unbearable for a moment. He had to turn away and swallow a lump.

"Of course I was injured before. But that's not the point."

"You can still fight. I believe your friends know that."

"I'm not as fast nor as strong anymore as I used to be. Kek covers it, I think. Weakness. That's me."

"I do not believe so. I have seen you in battle, DanielJackson. There is no kek in you."

Their eyes locked and they stared at one another hard. It was Daniel who had to look away first. "Thank you," he ground out. "Tell that to Hammond. And Jack."

Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back and let his gaze wander over the misty mountains in the distance. "Have you ever considered that perhaps your place really is here? And that GeneralHammond and O'Neill know this too?"

"What are you saying?"

"Many of my people are doubtful about the alliance the Tau'ri want to forge with the Jaffa. They believe it is time we fight on our own, tend to our own battles without help from outside."

Daniel shifted his leg and jammed his hands into his BDU pockets. "Yeah. I've heard that. But they've got to understand that we can help each other. We might not be as many as we... ." He closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to think about how many thousands of lives might be lost. "The... the military isn't as strong anymore as it used to be. But we still can help."

They had been through a lot of options over the last couple of weeks. The Alpha site had grain and seeds, but no equipment to properly plant and work fields. The Jaffa had the equipment to hand farm, but not enough seeds and grain to survive the next winter. They had goats and horses that had to be fed, children that had to be tended to, even pregnant women. There was a healer on Cal Mah who could work wonders with natural remedies, and the Alpha site had Janet who had to be sparse with medical supplies where she could. There would be no stocking up from home. They could learn from one another.

The Alpha site had weapons and enough ammo for another year – provided they needed to defend the base. What then? The Jaffa had staff weapons and zats, but not enough to share them with the Tau'ri. However, they could go out there together to find new weapon sources, power sources, naquadah. Hammond and Jack had put together six SG teams ready to gate out.

"Indeed," Teal'c said. "And you wield your tongue like a sword. You may be the one to convince the new Jaffa High Council that this alliance is worthy. I do believe O'Neill and GeneralHammond want you to stay here because you are needed here the most. Not because you are weak."

"I don't know. M'Zel doesn't seem to share your enthusiasm," Daniel said with a thin smile.

"But Bra'tac believes it is time to move on, and he can see the advantages of survival if we have a shared bond. It needs time. The Jaffa are not used to being free, to choose who is foe or friend. They distrust anyone. But they need to think of their women, children, the old ones. They need to survive too. Need to be cared for. The cause can only be successful if we have a strong home base... that is what you called it."

Daniel's radio crackled. "Doctor Jackson, please return to the main complex. Is Teal'c with you?"

It was Hammond.

"Yes, he is. What's going on?"

"We have a visitor. We need Teal'c to identify him."

They exchanged a puzzled look. Well, Daniel's look was probably puzzled. Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow. Daniel thumbed his radio. "We're on our way."

###

"This," Teal'c said, putting a gentle hand on the lanky young man's shoulder, "is Rya'c. My son." For the first time this Teal'c smiled, pride all over his face. Daniel had to smile back. And again a sharp pain stabbed at him. His Teal'c had been equally as proud of his son. Their Rya'c had married and would have probably been gifted with a son or daughter in the near future.

This young warrior had to find his Kar'yn all over again. Or another woman he'd want to spend the rest of his life with.

Daniel shared a glance with Sam and saw the sadness in her eyes, just for a split second before she schooled her features back into neutral. She and Cam were standing next to Hammond and Jack, who had greeted the newcomer upon his arrival.

The Alpha site gate room was constructed similarly to the old new gate room... the gate room in Antarctica would always be the "new" gate room for Daniel, so that made this new gate room probably the "newest" gate room? And what was he thinking anyway?

"Rya'c!" Cam held out his hand, then apparently remembered the young man didn't know him, and let it fall to his side. "It's... a human ritual. Hand shaking, the, ah... similar to the arm gripping your people do, you know, like..."

Daniel brushed past them, cleared his throat and said, "Tak mal tiak, mal we'ia. I'm Daniel Jackson."

Rya'c, dressed in the typical Jaffa warrior attire and carrying a staff weapon, bowed his head. "Tak mal tiak, mal we'ia, Daniel Jackson." Then he turned to his father. "Master Bra'tac sent me to bring you back to Cal Mah, father." He cast Daniel a look. "And you, Doctor Jackson. There is an uprising among our people."

"Let's move this to the briefing room, son," General Hammond said briskly and turned on his heel leading them into the "newest" briefing room after Rya'c had handed over his staff to one of the guards. The briefing room was much smaller than the one in Antarctica or the one in Cheyenne Mountain, but it had a long table and comfortable chairs, too.

"What happened, Rya'c?" Hammond folded his hands on the gray table in front of him and gave Teal'c's son an intent look.

"M'Zel has gathered Jaffa around him. He wants to convince everyone that becoming allies of the Tau'ri will lead us into yet another dependency. He says if we ever truly want to be free, we need to fight our own battles and fend for ourselves without the interference of outworlders," Rya'c explained exactly what Teal'c had talked about to Daniel earlier.

"How many followers does he have?" Daniel asked.

"I do not know. But Bra'tac asks for your return to Cal Mah to talk to our brothers and sisters." Rya'c inclined his head towards Daniel.

Before Daniel was able to reply, Hammond nodded. "You have a go Doctor Jackson."

"I'll go with you," Jack said. "Just in case M'Zel wants to challenge one of us in those fancy training rings."

"If M'Zel engages in battle with you, you will die," Teal'c said stoically as he rose to leave.

"Hey!" Jack shouted. "I heard that."

"M'Zel is one of our most skilled warriors," Rya'c explained.

"So am I. Well, among our warriors." Jack scowled.

"You are a formidable warrior, but you are not trained like Jaffa," Teal'c replied matter of factly.

"Gentlemen, I believe you have an appointment," Hammond interrupted with a warning glance at his 2IC. "Keep me posted about your progress, General O'Neill."

"Yes, sir."


	4. Cal Mah

**THE ROAD TO FOLLOW**

**IV**

**CAL MAH**

"And the Legend says that many eons ago the Sodan were part of the elite command force under the false god Ishkur. For lifetimes they pillaged and plundered worlds and helped to enslave other brothers under his name. But they realized that Ishkur was not a god, but merely an imposter. The Sodan determined the true gods were those that came before them." M'Zel's voice was strong and calm as he stood on the stone plateau holding his speech.

"The Ancients," Daniel said quietly.

"You know about the Ancients?" Bra'tac swiftly turned his head to stare at him.

"Yes."

"Then you know about Kheb," Teal'c concluded.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Actually... ." But Daniel was interrupted by M'Zel's next words, booming across the clearing where they had all gathered to hear him speak.

"Ishkur branded the Sodan traitors and ordered their deaths. They tried to fight and convert other Jaffa, but the odds were too great, and they were forced to flee. They set out to find Kheb, hoping that their souls would find peace. This, brothers and sisters, is what we have to do! Go out to follow in their footsteps. Find Kheb and our long lost ancestors. To seek the wisdom of the Ancients, to find out what path we have to walk on, where our destiny is."

Daniel listened and thought it interesting that the Jaffa of this timeline knew about the Ancients by name. In his own reality Bra'tac had known Kheb as a mythical planet where Jaffa who were too old to carry another prim'ta went to pass on into another life. His Bra'tac hadn't known about ascension or the Ancients back then. Apparently these Jaffa had at least an idea about who the Ancients were.

"The Sodan have moved on to the other life through ascension," one of the Jaffa in the crowd yelled out. "Is this where you want to lead us? Into another plane of existence? Do we not need to live our lives here first, make a living with what we have. The Tau'ri can help us."

Mutters of agreement arose, but M'Zel raised his arms and shook his head, demanding silence. "There is no need to move on to ascension," he said. "But once we find Kheb we will truly be home. Kheb is our destiny. Once there we can settle down. It is known to be a rich and wealthy planet. There will be no hunger on Kheb. No harsh weather. And no sickness. The legend says there is a monastery. There are Ancients who will grant us audience and help us.

"Is he right?" Jack asked Daniel.

"Yes, and no. It's... complicated. There is a planet called Kheb and there's a temple. When I was there, I met two of the Ancients. Basically Kheb is a retreat one of the Ancients built to teach humans ascension. At least that's what it was in my timeline. The Goa'uld aren't welcome there. Anyone entering the temple with the intention to fight or kill will be... destroyed."

"Destroyed as in... killed?" Jack asked.

"They just vanish," Bra'tac explained. "That is what the legend says. The false gods who went to Kheb so long ago never returned. And it is said they just vanished from the face of the planet."

"That basically covers it," Daniel agreed.

Bra'tac and Teal'c walked away from them, making their way through the crowd.

"The Ancients are the builder of roads guys, right? And the ones I got this thingamajig gene from," Jack wanted to know.

"They invented the Stargates, yes. And they are your ancestors," Daniel murmured, hoping that none of the Jaffa surrounding them had heard the bit of the gene. He wasn't sure how they would react if they found out Jack had Ancient ancestors.

"Cool," Jack stated. "And those Soda guys...?"

"Sodan. They didn't make it to Kheb. Their search led them to P9G-844. At least where I come from," Daniel said.

Bra'tac had joined M'Zel on his plateau now. When he raised a hand, the many Jaffa turned silent immediately to listen what their old leader had to announce. "The legend of Kheb is well known," Bra'tac began. "You are free to go and continue the search our ancestors have begun. But where will it lead you? How many worlds will you have to seek out before you finally find it? This is the world we chose to live on. Cal Mah is the new Jaffa home world! Is this world not rich of meadows, good earth, trees, and clean water? Is the weather not to our liking? Do we not have space and freedom here to build villages and fend for ourselves? What more can you seek on Kheb? Ascension is for those who need to leave this world once they are old. Our life is here. We will not run from the war. One day we will be strong enough to engage Qetesh in battle. To be truly free. Our fight is here!"

There was an uproar of approval, but also mutterings of disagreement and some yells in favor of M'Zel and the search for Kheb as their new home world.

"Jaffa!" Bra'tac hollered. "Hear me!"

The crowd grew still once more and Daniel marveled again at the aura of quiet but strong authority surrounding the old Jaffa master.

"The Tau'ri are not our masters. They are not here to enslave us or force us to bow to their conditions. They are as dependent on us as we are on them. They have weapons. Good weapons. Strong weapons. They will engage in battle with us against Qetesh and any other system lord. They have medicine to treat our sick and injured. In return they need help with farming and setting up live stock."

Questions were asked and protests uttered among the Jaffa.

M'Zel yelled, "But do they speak the truth? Are they trustworthy?!"

"Did they not help us in the fight against Qetesh's Jaffa when we had to leave Chulak?" Teal'c countered. "You have listened to DanielJackson before. You have heard his proposals and ideas. They are good ways to start an alliance."

Jack patted Daniel on the back. "I guess that's your cue. Good luck."

"Thanks." He carefully maneuvered himself through the Jaffa men and women until he stood in front of the stone plateau, accepting the helping hand of Teal'c who pulled him up. Once he was standing next to Bra'tac, Daniel cleared his throat. "No one is forced to stay here," he began. "The Tau'ri will not keep you from leaving Cal Mah. But I strongly believe Bra'tac and Teal'c are going in the right direction. We do need each other. There will be negotiations between our leaders once you have set up a temporarily government here. We will not demand anything but honesty and fair sharing of resources. This isn't a one-sided relationship. Both sides will benefit equally if we work together."

"They do not know our ways," M'Zel scoffed. "They do not know what we honor, how we live or fight. How are they supposed to understand our motives, our goals?"

More agreeing mutterings were the answer.

"Then we will learn your ways," Daniel said calmly. "We will learn everything you think is necessary for us to really know you and your culture." He knew enough of Jaffa culture and costumes to write whole books about it, but that wasn't the point here. If living among the Jaffa was what it took to gain their trust, so be it.

"And I, in return, will learn the way of the Tau'ri," Teal'c said to the whispering crowd. "I will teach DanielJackson as he will teach me."

"So it is settled," Bra'tac said with a final nod. "You may stay on Cal Mah for as long as you wish. You are welcome here. When Teal'c feels you have experienced enough of our ways he may join you on your world so you can teach him in return." He raised his hand to silence the audience once more. "You may choose to leave Cal Mah in the search for Kheb. But every one of you who believes our place is here may stay and help us build a life. And then fight Qetesh and any other system lord who denies us our freedom. No more slavery!"

"No more slavery!" The Jaffa roared.

"No more killing in the name of false gods!"

"No more killing in the name of false gods!" The Jaffa raised their arms to the sky and kept chanting the two phrases triumphantly.

Daniel turned to face Teal'c. "Thank you," he said.

Teal'c bowed his head. "I believe we will learn much from each other."

###

"Here." The water bowl was gently pushed into Daniel's hands and he took it carefully, wincing as the wood scraped over his barely healed blisters.

"Thanks," he said, carefully holding the bowl with both hands as he drank.

Jack settled down next to him on the log he was sitting on. "Sun's going to set soon. We should call it a night."

"Yeah." Daniel placed the empty bowl on the ground and wiped his arm across his forehead to mop up the sweat before it would drip into his eyes. His bandana was soaked and dirty after a long day of peeling logs for their cabin.

The whole area was a construction site. Once the Jaffa had chosen the location to build a village the house building had begun. Tents were temporarily used as homes, but the winter was on its way, and they would require real lodging. And true to their word, Daniel insisted on doing it without modern equipment and technology as much as possible.

Even after Hammond had approved Daniel's choice of action Jack had done his share of griping, balking and yelling...

..."What do you think you're trying to prove here?!"

"That we're able to learn from them. That we're not above working hard and that we're serious about learning their way of life," Daniel had explained for the third time.

"What's there to learn, Daniel? They beat the crap outta each other on a daily basis for training, run around and posture, talk about dying free. Oh - and they do say 'Kree' a lot. What does that mean anyway?"

"What, Kree? Well, actually it means a lot of things. Loosely translated it means attention, listen up, concentrate…"

"Yoo-hoo?"

"Uh, yes, in a manner of speaking."

"Ah."

"Look, the point is they don't trust us. And by showing them we're taking them seriously and want to study them, we're showing them respect. And that we're trustworthy. I know everything about their rites and training methods. But just telling them what I know won't do the trick. We have to mingle, settle in, be part of their culture."

"Or, we could just show them big honkin' guns and they'll be delighted and follow us everywhere," Jack snarked.

"Jack... ."

"Daniel?"

Daniel bit his lip in frustration. "You're probably right. But they're not stupid. They're well aware we might one day use those weapons against them. Well, not that we would, but that's the way soldiers tend to think. You of all people should know that. If we want a chance of a honest relationship we have to come forth in more ways than just showing them weapons."

"And that involves building a cabin with our own hands, help digging them a well and latrines?"

"Yes!"

"Don't you think they'd be happy to get some new shiny tools to dig and saw and chisel?"

"I asked Teal'c and he thinks it would be wise to try it their way first."...

… Jack had thrown up his hands in defeat and caved.

And this Jack knew how to build a cabin. As Daniel watched him measure trees, cut them down and haul them out of the forest with one of the horses the Jaffa had given them, he wondered if his Jack would have known how to build a cabin from scratch just like that? He realized he didn't know and it triggered a feeling of unease. But then he figured that maybe his Jack would have known how to do this, as he was trained in wilderness survival just as much as this Jack.

Daniel knew a lot about tent building; he even knew how to make tents from animal skin thanks to his time on Abydos. He knew everything about surviving in a desert; how to find water, how to live through sandstorms, how to hunt in a very human-unfriendly environment. But he'd never built a cabin before. However, he was a quick study. Jack showed him how to peel logs, and so that's what he had been doing over the last three weeks. Peeling logs with nothing but a knife and some shovel like tool.

"I think we can start digging post holes soon," Jack said, stretching out his long legs. His BDU pants were layered with dirt and sawdust. "Going back to the Alpha site to get some stuff tomorrow. Do you need anything?"

"Writing paper and pens," Daniel replied. "More alcohol wipes and powder for the..." He gestured at his prosthesis. "That's it." He was keeping a journal about their daily life and since there was no electricity here he had to do it the old fashioned way. Something he enjoyed very much. He used to do journaling by hand on Abydos and even later when he was back in Colorado.

"Right." Jack drank from his own water bowl and set it down next to Daniel's. "You sure you don't want to come along? Have a shower, sleep in a real bed, get your hands treated?"

"My hands are fine," Daniel said. The blisters were almost healed and he was wearing working gloves now, something the Jaffa thought was very amusing. "And I'd rather stay here. Sho'nal is going to take me on a hike tomorrow to teach me about the local fauna. You know, herbal remedies, edible plants... ."

"Yeah." Jack scowled and rubbed his palms across his tanned face and short silver hair. Working out in the sun all day had bleached his hair so that it was almost white now in comparison to his skin.

Daniel, who didn't look any less tanned and whose hair was almost back to blond, rolled his eyes. "Jack, it'll be fine. I've been hiking around the village without you before."

"But she's going to take you into the deeper woods."

"So she is. I'm capable of watching my step. You know that."

"Yeah. Just... " Jack bit his lower lip and scowled some more. "You know... ."

"I'll be careful," Daniel said gently. Usually Jack's mother henning tendencies used to provoke a slight feeling of defiance in him. But this Jack tried hard not to come across as being too protective most of the time. Daniel suspected he had learned to back off from his own Daniel a long time ago. He briefly wondered how his Jack would have adapted to deal with Daniel's disability. Sometimes he thought Jack would have had more trouble with it than Daniel himself. This Jack had been used to Daniel like this even before they met and while he kept an eye out for him he didn't fuss too much. Mostly.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Jack asked as he pulled his black t-shirt over his head and dropped it to the ground.

"Sure." Daniel went over to the small tent they shared until the cabin was finished. He grabbed the sturdy cane he had built in their first week out here. It turned out to be useful as an extra support, especially when he had to take off the J-leg.

The lake was only a short hike away from their soon-to-be cabin. Its surface lay still and undisturbed like a mirror, reflecting the trees and mountains surrounding it. They had discovered a small cove with a sandy shore between a group of trees. Most of the Jaffa bathed and washed clothes at the north shore, which was too steep and spiked with rocks and pebbles for Daniel to approach.

They slipped out of their sweat-drenched pants and shirts, only keeping their underwear on. Daniel took off the prosthesis and carefully leaned it against a boulder so it wouldn't fall in the sand. With the help of his cane he reached the waterline. Jack, as always, walked next to him. Not offering help, but always there if Daniel needed him. They never talked about how to do this, they just did it. And Daniel tried not to think about the fact that he relied on the other man without second-guessing anymore.

The lines were beginning to blur.

Swimming had been one of Daniel's PT classes. That, and getting in and out of a pool without falling flat on his face or back. Learning to move on the sand without his leg by using a wooden cane until he was in the water was only a matter of practicing. Jack had known better than to do the pity act when they had tried the first time and Daniel landed on his ass twice before he reached the water. The first time he had lost his footing by stepping on a stone, the second time the branch he used for a cane broke. It was then that he made himself a real cane for situations like this.

Jack had hauled him up and, after the second time, asked. "You okay? Anything broken? Lost another leg?"

Daniel had rolled his eyes, called him a smart ass and added. "Next time you better bring me a better cane or I'll beat you over the head with it."

"Next time you can get yourself your own cane," Jack had bitched. By then they had reached the water and Daniel had taken three more steps and sunk into refreshing coldness, embracing the feeling of almost zero gravity as he had floated on his back, blinking into the sunny blue sky...

"Hey, what'cha daydreaming about?" A cold splash of water hit Daniel's feet and legs, bringing him back to the here and now.

Daniel dodged the wooden cane and let himself into the water, pushing off the sandy shore with his remaining foot. When he had started out swimming in the pool at the PT center he couldn't do laps anymore and had ended up swimming in circles. But with a few weeks of training he had learned to compensate for his lost leg and swim normally. He realized how hard he had fought to regain his physical control and how the long therapy sessions paid off now.

"None of your business," Daniel answered Jack's question and splashed water back at him. He felt his aching muscles and bones relax in the cool water as he caught up to Jack with strong arm strokes. They swam for a while with no competition, just lazily paddling along the shore, then they returned to their cove to lay and dry off in the warm sand.

"This is nice," Jack said after a while of dozing.

"Mhh," Daniel murmured.

"Kinda like Minnesota."

"Did you build your Minnesota cabin on your own?" Daniel had wanted to ask this for quite a while now, out of curiosity.

"My dad built it, I helped," Jack said. "But I re-built part of it later when a bad storm hit and a tree fell on the roof."

"You're good with this stuff."

"Have to be good for something, eh?" Jack joked mildly.

Daniel turned his head to look at him. "Yes, actually, you are quite useful here and there."

Jack flicked sand at him and Daniel returned the favor, but then sobered up. "People really like you, you know?"

Rolling over on his side to face Daniel, Jack raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. You help with building the cabins, carry water buckets, rough house with the kids. Kal'arc says his sons are totally over the moon because you taught them how to play baseball." Jack had made baseball bats from wood and brought a ball from the Alpha site. He'd been teaching the kids how to play and after some skepticism and mutterings about the 'waste of time' some of the adults had finally joined in.

"Teal'c is going to train me in Jaffa fighting techniques," Jack said. "Maybe Bra'tac will stop calling me 'human' once I manage to kick Teal'c's ass."

"At least he's not calling you a Hasshak anymore," Daniel laughed. "And I won't count on you kicking Teal'c's ass anytime soon."

"Have a little faith, will ya?" Jack growled.

When the sun was about to set Daniel began the process of cleaning the socket of his prosthesis from sand and sweat with the alcohol wipes he carried around everywhere. Once his stump was cleaned and dry, he donned the leg and the two of them went back to the village for a quick dinner and lots of well-earned sleep.

###

"You master Kel'no'reem very well." Teal'c opened his eyes and they looked at each other over the dancing flame of the thick candle standing on the ground between them.

"I used to do this with our Teal'c quite a lot," Daniel said. "It's relaxing. And recharging. Even though we don't carry prim'tas."

"Tell me more about this other Teal'c," Teal'c said. "How did he free the Jaffa in your universe?"

"It was a very long journey," Daniel replied. "Ba'al changed history in many ways when he used the time machine. By uniting all Jaffa into one big army he actually did you a favor. In my time the Jaffa were scattered all over the galaxy, everyone fighting for their own god."

"Ba'al is dead now. Qetesh has suffered considerable losses in her ranks. The other system lords will try to regain their territories."

"But it will take a long time. First they have to gather loyal Jaffa to do the fighting for them. Didn't Bra'tac tell us just yesterday that groups of free Jaffa gather to organize the uprising against their former system lords everywhere?"

"That is true. However, there are still many Jaffa being loyal to the Goa'uld. Now that Ba'al is dead they will either join Qetesh or return to their former masters." Teal'c rose and easily helped Daniel to stand. "The Goa'uld are too vain and arrogant to forge alliances with each other. But they might combine what is left of their fleets and power to battle Qetesh. Once she is gone they will continue fighting each other."

"Or," Daniel said slowly, "Ba'al's remaining clone will rise again and take out Qetesh." Daniel tried not to think of Qetesh as Vala, but it was nearly impossible to separate them in his mind. This Vala never got freed of Qetesh, she never stumbled across Daniel on the Prometheus, never joined SG-1. Yet, it was Vala being possessed by the parasite calling herself Qetesh. He couldn't and wouldn't ignore that fact. But right now he couldn't do anything to save her either.

"If Ba'al rises from the dead without using a sarcophagus no one will ever doubt his status as a god again. Even our brothers and sisters might return to serve him. They do not know about clones. I had never heard about this myself before you explained it to us."

"Did you ever hear of the Tok'ra?" Daniel asked out of the blue. He hadn't brought the Tok'ra up yet in their discussions about their alternate realities.

Teal'c's face stayed impassive, but he took his time to answer as he put out the candles one by one. "The Tok'ra are no more," he finally said. "Ba'al eliminated them."

Daniel felt a cold hand reach for his heart. "All of them?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"I believe so. He found their home world and destroyed it. I was there. For generations there had been rumors about the Tok'ra. It was said they chose to part from the evil gods and use their knowledge and power for science and to find a way to slay the Goa'uld. When I was a child I believed them to be a legend. Like Kheb. But they were not."

"They might have secret outposts left Ba'al doesn't know about," Daniel said, pinching the bridge of his nose. If the Tok'ra were gone there was no hope for Vala to ever get rid of Qetesh. And even more so, the Tok'ra would have been a valuable asset in the fight against the system lords.

"Ba'al declared the Tok'ra mortal enemies. They were renegades and dangerous to the empire he was building. Ba'al preached that the Tok'ra would fight him and if they won, the Jaffa would never gain freedom," Teal'c continued grimly. "Bra'tac taught me about the Tok'ra when he trained me to be first prime of Apophis, many years before Ba'al took his place. I did not believe Ba'al was speaking truly about the Tok'ra. But there was nothing I could have done."

"I know," Daniel said.

###

He was sitting on a cliff high above the water that very same evening, his legs dangling over the edge. He had a stick and a knife and was whittling absently. The sun, an orange ball of fire, hung low above the lake. The heat of the day would soon subside into the cool evening hours. It was chilly at nights now, the arrival of fall season in the air.

He liked coming up here. It was quiet and peaceful and sometimes he spotted a hawk-like bird soaring through the sky looking for prey. The cliff wasn't very high and the path up here wasn't steep. A sole of thick grass leading slightly uphill until it reached the peak of the cliff going out over the lake like a hooked nose.

Tonight the sunset and the grand view over the lake and far away mountains held no beauty for him. He was knitting a mental net of gloomy thoughts and despair.

Being on Cal Mah and concentrating on daily tasks like log building, studies of herbs and trees, listening to old Jaffa legends around the fire, kel'no'reeming and watching Jack venture into the Jaffa fighting arts had lulled him into false contentment. Sure, they reported back to the Alpha site regularly, worried about the ongoing radio silence of Sam and Cam, listened to Bra'tac's reports from other Jaffa worlds he visited to gather assessment of the situation. There were rumors about Qetesh mobilizing as many loyal Jaffa troops as possible after establishing her status as the new goddess on Chulak. And her army was growing equally as fast as the free Jaffa camps.

All that was disconcerting.

But it was part of their life here. Part of the new fight they had begun; to survive and to battle the Goa'uld once again.

Ten weeks.

They had fit in nicely.

So easy to just concentrate on what life dealt you and pushing away everything else.

"Thought you might hang out here to avoid KP duty."

Daniel didn't turn around or acknowledge Jack's presence in any other way.

"Hey," Jack's boot poked Daniel's butt just slightly. "I'm hungry, ya know."

"So cook something. I'll cook tomorrow, it's no big deal," Daniel said, not willing to enter a game of the verbal push and pull they were so good at - in both worlds.

With a lot of groaning and moaning about his knees and back Jack finally settled down next to him.

"I'd rather be alone for a while," Daniel said, suppressing a sigh of irritation.

"You've been alone for the last couple of hours," Jack pointed out. "I've been looking for you all over the place."

"So desperate for a hot meal?" Daniel couldn't resist the tiniest bit of banter.

"It's your turn today," Jack scowled. "And you hated my stew last night, so... ."

"Your stew was fine. Except for the raw unpeeled vegetables. They were a bit difficult to chew on."

"I never cooked coulquap before."

"It's Caol'cap... ."

"Whatever."

Sudden anger surged through Daniel. Here he was arguing over dinner and vegetable soup while Vala would never be freed of Qetesh, her life and thousands of others ruined through the hands of one cruel evil bastard.

"Jack? Can you do me a favor? Shut the hell up. Just... shut up." Daniel put the knife down and snapped the stick he'd been whittling on in half.

They sat in silence for a long time.

"What happened?" Jack finally asked, his voice unusually gentle.

"Sorry," Daniel mumbled. "It's not your fault." He had stopped blaming anyone but Ba'al for the dilemma they were in a long time ago. Even if Jack had listened to them right away. Even if Landry had helped them... Ba'al had booby-trapped the machine and it would have blown up in their faces either way.

"It's about those Tok'ra guys," Jack concluded.

They had been at the Alpha site this afternoon for their weekly reports. There had been no good news at all. Daniel had revealed the fact the Tok'ra were gone. The Asgard were out of reach as well, but at least they could be contacted through Cimmeria if necessary. There was no word from Sam and Cam; communications had been fragile once they entered hyperspace and eventually fizzled out. They had still been on their way back to Earth then. So everyone was worried, but there was so much work to do on both Cal Mah and the Alpha site that there was no time for brooding. Hammond's hands were tied as they didn't have another ship at hand for S and R, and the rumors about Qetesh's growing army were unsettling as well. The Alpha site was more or less defenseless regarding incoming space ships – its only advantage was that nobody but Sam and Cam knew the gate address. However, if they got caught by Qetesh's people...

"You said it yourself; they're kind of arrogant and have their own agenda. We'll deal without them," Jack said.

"The Tok'ra had the technology to extract Goa'uld from its host without killing the host," Daniel said.

"And? So? Therefore?"

"And, so,... " Daniel threw the two halves of his whittled stick into the lake, watched as it tumbled down and entered the water with a soft splash. "Qetesh's host used to be a friend of mine."

"Crap. Yeah, I remember you mentioned that."

"Her name is Vala. She was part of SG-1 before Ba'al happened," Daniel continued stoically. "She used to be host to Qetesh, but had been freed of her before I first met her. Now she'll either live to conquer the universe - or die."

He didn't have to explain to Jack about the relationship between host and Goa'uld. They had given all that information freely in their interrogations before they were assigned to their new lives.

"I'm sorry," Jack offered.

"I don't belong here, Jack," Daniel said, his voice hard and clipped. "It's all wrong. Did you know Janet had a daughter in my timeline? A little girl we rescued from a planet called Hanka where everyone but that little girl died of a virus the Goa'uld Nirrti invented in her goal to breed the perfect human host? Cassie would be a young woman now if she's still alive."

"Daniel... ."

Daniel snarled, "We spent years and years fighting the damn Goa'uld, the replicators and the Ori. We kicked butt. We were so close to finally finally having some time to relax, to breathe, to... "

"Retire."

"Yes! Well, Jack wanted to retire anyway. After all this time of having to put personal things on the backburner there was finally light at the end of the tunnel. We made plans. Big plans. All of us. Vala wanted to go and stay with her dad for a while. Teal'c wanted to spend time with Ishta and Rya'c. Sam and Cam were plotting to take leave and go on a motorcycle trip together down the West Coast. Jack and I were going to Atlantis for a while. And then... "

"He died."

Daniel balled his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. "This has nothing to do with him," he ground out. Didn't he come out here to think about Vala?

"Oh, but I think it has."

"No. He died. Vala is still alive somewhere – prisoner of Qetesh. And the Tok'ra might have been able to help. But Ba'al made sure they won't be helping anyone ever again."

But the ice cubes were back in the pit of his stomach and he saw Jack lying on the ground, the blood slowly trickling away from under his shoulder and head. Saw how Jack's eyes broke after he ordered them to go. There had been no time for good bye, no time for last words, not even time to touch.

They had to leave him behind.

And then it hit him full force. Daniel gasped for air. He pressed a hand on his abdomen as if stabbed by a knife that was turned over and over in his guts sending searing agony all through him. He couldn't breathe properly and struggled to his feet, angrily batting Jack's helping hands away as soon as he had his footing on the ground.

"I'm fine," he snapped. "Just... go."

But Jack only stepped back a few feet to give him space.

Daniel bit his lower lip as he wrapped his arms tightly around himself.

The pain had always been close to the surface. So close. But he knew if he let go of control he might lose his sanity over it. Jack wasn't the first one he lost. But he might just be the last straw that would break the camel's back. And later when he went to McMurdo, he had that small spark of hope that one day he would fix the timeline.

That hope had died when Ba'al's fail-safe place blew up.

And so Daniel had moved on and buried his hope and grief under piles of work and the struggle to make a life here.

Somehow the revelation about Ba'al destroying the Tok'ra had triggered a chain reaction. The Tok'ra were dead. Vala would never be free. Jacob Carter probably died a long time ago of the cancer he managed to beat by becoming a Tok'ra in Daniel's timeline.

And his Jack was dead. Would remain dead forever. Not even a grave he could go to.

Once more the realization of failure wrapped itself around Daniel like a suffocating blanket, threatening to cut his airway. Knowing he couldn't have done anything to prevent this from happening didn't help. It only added to the agony.

"He died," Daniel ground out, voice hollow with grief. "Every fucking person I love dies on me." There. It was out. And wasn't it so ironically true? And there was never enough time for... anything... .

Jack's arms were around him, pulling him in for a hug. "I'm not dead, Daniel," he murmured. "I'm here."

"Don't!" He broke free from Jack's restraining arms, smacking a hand into the older man's chest, pushing him forcefully away. "Just... don't!" He turned and strode down the cliff as fast as he could with the damn J-leg.

"Daniel!"

"I'll be fine," he yelled back over his shoulder. "Just back off for a while, okay?"

"The hell I will!" Jack knew better than to grab Daniel's shoulder and get him out of balance while they were walking down the hill, but he strode past him, turned around and continued walking down backwards. "Will you stop!?"

"Jack... ."

"No, come on! I've been thinking about this and you're wrong."

"Wrong about what?" Daniel snapped.

"I'm him and he's me and I'm not dead. I'm just... different."

"That's not the point," Daniel spat. "I still saw him die. And we couldn't fix it."

"It's not your fault. It's Ba'al's."

"Yes," Daniel hissed, loathing blazing in his chest. "I know that. Doesn't make it any easier though!"

They had almost reached the bottom of the hill and Daniel tried to dodge Jack by skirting around him, but now that they had slowed down considerably Jack raised his right arm and placed a gentle hand against Daniel's shoulder to stop him walking. "I never said you should take it easy."

"You better not," Daniel growled. "You have no idea what it's like having to live through this whole mess again."

"No, I don't," Jack said quietly, his hand still on Daniel's shoulder. "And I'd be pissed as hell, too, if I had to. But this is still me, Daniel. The son of a bitch might have changed the timeline, but I'm still here in one way or another."

His anger directed at Jack left him like air swooshed out of a balloon if you stuck a needle into it. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and shook his head. "I know. It's just... ."

"Yeah. I lost my Daniel too, remember?"

"Oh sh... " He lowered his eyes and sucked in a painful breath. "I'm sorry, I... "

"No, don't be. Isn't your fault either." Jack closed the gap between them and even though a part in Daniel wanted to run, he stayed where he was, chest to chest with the guy who used to be his lover. "I know what this is. I was mad at you when my Daniel died. Thought he only died because you showed up. Messed with my head a lot. He was the best friend I ever had. And people don't grow on me easily."

"Jack... "

"You're kinda different. More grown up in some ways," Jack went on in a low voice. "Sometimes I think that's a good thing. Makes it less... creepy."

"You on the other hand are not so different at all," Daniel mumbled. "Makes it very creepy at times. Makes it easier at others."

Jack's eyes were nothing but dark deep pools in the fast fading daylight. "Now we are the closest thing to best friends we have," he said quietly.

"I miss him," Daniel admitted, breath hitching slightly in his throat. "I miss being with him."

"Yeah."

Daniel's arms came around Jack's lean body the same time Jack's wrapped around him. For a while they just stood there, frozen in place, almost afraid to move. Then Daniel tightened his arms around Jack and they melted into one another, fitting perfectly together as they always had; Jack burying his face in Daniel's hair, Daniel pressing his burning eyes against Jack's shoulder. He didn't utter a sound, only heavy breaths, as he tried to regain control over the emotional chaos raging in his chest.

Then Jack murmured, voice hoarse, "I need to say something and I want you to listen... ."

Daniel backed off at arm's length and they shared a long look in the semi darkness. "What?"

"Ba'al wanted to finish SG-1 off, right? He wanted everything you and your team worked for go to hell. Yet, we're both here. That has to mean something, don't ya think? That's... meaning of life stuff or something. You and me. I don't know what it means, yet, but... ."

Daniel thought about that for a moment. "I guess it means nothing can keep us apart, no matter what." And ever so slowly the blazing fire of pain subsided until only a dull ache was left.

Jack lifted his right hand and placed it on the side of Daniel's face, his fingertips gently brushing away traces of dampness. "You okay?"

"I'm better," Daniel said and felt his lips twitch into a smile. "You?"

"Still hungry. Can I have dinner now?"

Daniel rammed his elbow into Jack's ribs. "Bastard," he said affectionately.

###

"What do you think?" Jack wrapped a sweaty arm around Daniel's shoulder and they stood next to each other gazing at the fruits of their hard labor.

"It actually is starting to look like a cabin," Daniel grinned.

"Yep. Floor is done. Now we'll put in the poles for the porch and then we can start on the walls." Jack ruffled Daniel's hair and Daniel rolled his eyes. "Stop that, I'm not your kid."

Ruffling Daniel's hair some more, Jack smirked. "Nope you're not. But you have great hair."

Daniel ducked away from Jack and almost lost his footing. He grabbed for the nearest pole to steady himself. "I do?"

Jack shrugged. "Nah, I just like to annoy you."

"Son of a bitch." He playfully smacked Jack upside the head. "You need a bath, General O'Neill."

A moment later they were on their way to the lake, bickering about who was going to cook dinner and generally having a good time.

"We need to wash our stuff," Jack said with a grimace as they peeled themselves out of their dirty, reeking clothes.

"Again?" Daniel sighed. "Okay, I'll cave. Let's get new clothes from the Alpha site tomorrow."

"I need a new toothbrush anyway," Jack said.

Daniel stripped down to his underwear, then paused. What the heck... He was sweaty and felt particularly dusty and dirty today. There was no reason to hide anything from Jack.. With a sideways glance at Jack he shrugged and decided to go commando. Jack, who was already at the shoreline looked back at him, mouth dropping open.

"What?" Daniel asked as he hobbled past Jack and threw his cane back on the sand.

Jack pursed his lips, looked him up and down, then shrugged in return and got rid of his own boxers. "It's not like the girls are going to spy on us," he said when Daniel grinned at him.

###

The fire was huge, the flames licking greedily towards the cool night sky.

M'Zel was reciting some legend about Kheb and the afterlife. He still tried to gather people who would follow him on his search for Kheb and Daniel thought he might just leave one day and they would never see him again. But tonight all he did was tell a tale. A story teller in a line of many who had spoken tonight as the fire warmed them and the women handed out grilled meat and fresh fruit to them. The kids and Jack had played baseball all afternoon and now most of the boys were hanging on the story teller's words, and the girls were sitting in a corner, giggling and doing their own thing.

"When the winter comes, the village will be built and the seeds will be buried so we will have our first crop next spring," Teal'c said with a satisfied smile. "Everyone is working hard to reach this goal. You and O'Neill are no exception."

"Thanks Teal'c," Daniel said, nibbling on the meat. It was salty and a bit stringy, but not bad.

"Once we are sure our women and children will be safe and cared for through the winter I will come with you and O'Neill to the Alpha site. So you can teach me your ways."

"Sure. You're welcome to stay with us." Daniel looked around the groups of chatting, eating and laughing Jaffa and knew he would miss living here. He and Jack might come back for periods of times to lead negotiations or for briefings. Maybe they could live in their cabin then. But it wouldn't be the same anymore.

And then there was Qetesh looming at the horizon.

"Bra'tac will return from his visit to Chulak in three days," Teal'c said on cue. "Then we will know more about Qetesh's plans."

"Yeah." Daniel drank from the heavy wine the Jaffa women made from the grapes of the local trees. He watched as Dry'auc came to sit next to them, leaning into Teal'c who put his arm around her as they started a low-voiced conversation.

"Hey, Daniel." Jack's hand on his shoulder made him look up and smile, chasing the gloomy thoughts away for now. Jack was holding a jug of wine, too, and grinned down at him. The flickering light of the fire made him look younger and reckless, and Daniel felt his smile widen.

"Hey, Jack."

"I'm hitting the sack. Gonna join me?"

"How can I pass up an invitation like that?"

Jack's eye narrowed and then widened. "You got that wrong. No pre-marriage sex for me."

Daniel snorted and put his wine down. They said good-bye to Teal'c and Dry'auc and slowly made their way through the groups of men, women and children sitting on the grass, logs or boulders.

"What's it like?" Jack asked out of the blue as they walked between the high trees, leaving the noises of the gathering and the fire behind.

"What?"

"Doing a guy."

Daniel stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and gazed up at the bit of sky he could see through the tree's canopy. There were clouds tonight, no stars. "You really want to know?"

"No. Well, yeah, just... hypothetically speaking."

"Ah. Power Point Presentation? Nailing guys 101?"

"Smart ass."

"You're drunk," Daniel stated mildly.

"What has that to do with anything?" Jack pouted. "And I'm not too drunk to listen to you."

"You're drunk enough to listen to me, you mean."

"Whatever! I asked you a simple question. Usually if someone asks you a simple question you start talking and won't stop until someone finds the off switch."

Daniel grinned. "What do you want me to tell you, Jack? It's sex. It's different... and messy. Sometimes it hurts. And to be honest, you need to do it to really know what's it like. Because everyone feels differently about it. You might love it or hate it. Maybe you only might like to top or bottom. Or maybe you don't like penetration at all. There's no knowing until you've tried."

Jack blinked and opened his mouth, then closed it.

"Apparently you're not drunk enough after all. TMI?" Daniel laughed.

"No, I can talk about sex. No problem."

"Right."

They found their way through the forest without needing a flashlight. Their arms brushed occasionally and Daniel wondered – not for the first time – if they were moving on to something... something he might regret one day. But he could feel this thing between them growing with every passing day now. How easy they had become with each other, how familiar. This was Jack. And Jack used to know him inside out – and vice versa.

"So what did you... and he... like best?" Jack asked all of a sudden.

Now it was at Daniel to open and close his mouth. This was awkward. "We tried lots of stuff," he started carefully.

"Such as?"

"You really want to know? Because this is kind of... weird. I feel like you should know these things," Daniel said puzzled. "But of course that's kind of stupid to assume."

"Uh," Jack said clearly embarrassed now. "Sorry. You don't have to... was just curious."

"No, no it's okay. We were pretty inexperienced when we started so we took it slow. You know... kissing, making out, blowing, fingers... "

"Fingers up the...?" Jack sounded slightly squeaky.

"Yeah. It's actually like foreplay, you know, to prepare... "

"Right. I think that's... ."

"TMI."

"Yeah."

"You asked."

"Just..."

Daniel laughed, he couldn't help it. "Are you blushing, Jack? It's a shame I can't see your face right now!"

"Ah, shut up!"

###

"So." Jack heavily leaned on the pole he was about to hammer into the ground. "Who is Ishta? You mentioned her a couple weeks ago."

"What?" Daniel almost hammered his thumb instead of the chisel. He was chiseling round notches into the peeled logs. "Oh, Ishta! She's Teal'c's lover in my timeline."

"I thought he's married," Jack inquired, eyebrows raised.

"He was. Dry'auc died."

"Well, then there's probably one upside here. She's pretty much alive and married to him."

A smile crept into Daniel's face. "Yeah."

"What about the Ori? Who are they? And you still need to really explain this whole glowy thing to me."

"Ascension."

"Yeah, that."

"I will. Just... it's a long complicated story." Daniel stopped chiseling and pursed his lips. "The Ori are actually part of this story. They're just another pain in the mik'ta we had to deal with in our timeline. I don't think you have to worry about them, yet." At least he didn't hope so. Since the universe had lived without the Tau'ri meddling, he hoped the Ori were still unaware of the Milky Way and the many civilizations the Ancients had created here. After all it had been Daniel who found the ancient communication stone and first contacted the Ori – not knowing what a can of worms he had opened. Without his interference the Ori were probably still far, far away.

For a while they worked in silence under the cloudless sky. The sun was burning down on them, but it would cool off considerably in the afternoon. An hour or so later Jack groaned and pressed the heel of his hand into his side. "Crap."

Daniel looked up from the notch he was working on. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just sore." Jack threw the heavy hammer to the ground and gave the pole a hard push. It didn't move. "Taking a break now. You want some water?"

Daniel nodded and watched Jack picking up their drinking bowls to fill them at the small creek not far from their construction area. When he returned he handed Daniel his bowl and sat down next to him on the log.

"Are you sure you're all right, Jack?"

"I feel every single bone in my body, but yep – I'm good." He was sporting a black eye and Daniel knew there were several bruises covering his ribs. The lessons with the fighting stick and the training staff were hard and while Jack was trained and fit, Teal'c was a tough sparring partner. Last night he had taught Jack to practice kicks and hand moves when blindfolded. Jack had learned to do hand-to-hand combat blindfolded in his special ops training, but it had been a long time since he had to use these skills so the traces of last night's lesson were all over him.

However, Teal'c had left the ring with a bleeding nose and a shiner of his own.

"I can rub ointment into you later," Daniel offered.

Circling his shoulders, Jack grimaced.

"It's good for you. Loosens the muscles and knots."

"I'd rather not... "

"You want to continue to suffer? Fine." Rolling his eyes Daniel put his bowl down and concentrated on the next notch.

Sho'nal had showed Daniel how to produce an ointment from several herbs and grease some time ago, telling him it was good for any kind of strain or muscle soreness or skin irritation. Daniel had treated his stump with it and after only a few days found the slightly irritated skin to be smooth and healthy. Jack used it on Daniel's good leg when he was giving him the massage against the phantom pain, but he balked at Daniel returning the favor of massaging his back.

This evening was no different.

Once they had finished their dinner and Jack had washed the dishes and put everything away they went to bed in their tent. Daniel spread the sleeping bags to the ground. He undressed and doffed the leg, then took care of cleaning and examining his stump.

But when Jack knelt next to Daniel with the small pot of ointment in his hand, Daniel shook his head. "Your turn tonight. My leg's really good."

Jack slowly put the pot on the ground and shook his head. "Nah, I'm okay. You sure you don't want me to...?"

"Not tonight," Daniel insisted. "And you certainly don't look fine to me. You've been moving around like an old man all day." He grinned. "Well you are old, but not that old I might add."

"Look, I'm not into massages, okay? Sleep tight." Jack left the jar next to Daniel's head and scrambled over to crawl into his own sleeping bag.

"Is this because I'm not him or is it because you just can't stand me touching you?" Daniel asked bluntly.

Jack's head shot up from the ground. "Wha... oh, fuck!" His hands jerked up to his neck and he slowly sank down, moaning and cursing.

Daniel fumbled for the zipper of his sleeping bag and opened it. "Jack?"

"Aw, crap crap... holy... sh... I'm okay, just... ow... "

Daniel grabbed the jar of ointment and made his way over to Jack, using his strong arms and one knee to support his weight. "Jack?!"

"Think I sprained somethin' in my neck."

"Okay, I'll get it; turn over on your front, can you do that?"

"Can't move my neck," Jack groaned.

Daniel grabbed him by the shoulders and helped as Jack struggled to lie on his stomach. He carefully probed the area on Jack's neck with his fingertips to find the sprained muscle or tendon. When Jack growled a hoarse, "Easy there!" he knew he found it.

"Here?" he asked to be sure, carefully putting pressure on the point. .

"Ya THINK?!"

"Okay, seems very tight." Daniel began to slowly massage the area without putting too much pressure on it. "How's this?"

"Daniel... Get Fraiser, will ya?"

"It probably was sprained before from the beating you took, and you may even have a vertebrae out of place." His fingertips probed a little more and Jack uttered a hissing sound.

"What are you? A frigging doctor? OW! For crying out... "

"I learned a lot during my PT sessions and I did read some stuff about how bones and muscles work," Daniel said. "But you're right, Shol'na should take a look at it." He covered Jack up with the sleeping bag and started to don his J-leg. "Stay put," he ordered. "I'll get her."

"Hey!" Jack yelled. "I said get Fraiser! I can't frigging move!"

Shaking his head torn between amusement and annoyance, Daniel finished putting on his leg and left the tent. "Jack, you have a sprained neck, not a life-threatening injury!"

"Daniel!"

###

Shol'na touched Jack's neck in all the places Daniel had examined before. She smiled. "It is nothing, O'Neill. I will adjust the neck. Sit up please."

"I think I'd rather let our doctor take a look... ," Jack began, but Daniel shushed him with a shake of his head.

They helped him sit and Shol'na knelt behind him, placing her small long fingered hands on Jack's neck. "I will pull now. It will hurt," she warned and Daniel winced in sympathy as she jerked Jack's neck in small movements to the left and right. Jack's eyes grew big as saucers, droplets of sweat appeared on his brow. He gurgled something in the back of his throat and then squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

"This will be all," Shol'na said in her soft melodic voice. She helped Daniel to turn Jack back on his front. "Give him the ointment twice a day and he should not move around tomorrow. He will be well soon."

"Thanks," Daniel said in behalf of Jack who had buried his face into the sleeping bag and was groaning something about witches and torture.

Shol'na smiled and left.

"I hate you," Jack snarled when Daniel had doffed his prosthesis and settled down next to him with the jar.

"Likewise," he said lightly and began to rub the ointment into Jack's neck and shoulders, applying pressure on certain points and rubbing the greasy stuff gently into the taut muscles. "How is that?"

"Still hate you," Jack mumbled as his shoulders and neck slowly relaxed under Daniel's kneading and stroking hands.

"Good." His hands traveled up and down Jack's spine now, then moved back to his shoulders and neck. He repeated these movements several times and then asked, "Still hate me?"

"Pretty much."

Daniel chuckled. The greasy ointment became warm under his palms and Jack's skin seemed to almost glow with heat now.

"Y'know, one of these days I'm gonna teach you a thing or two about following orders," Jack slurred, his eyes half closed. "Don't stop doing that... yeah, right there."

"Thought you weren't into massage?" Daniel asked teasingly.

"Told you to get the Doc."

"I did."

"Ours. Not the medicine gal of the tribe." Jack's voice had lost its bite though. It was soft and mellow.

"She's a healer, Jack. Very experienced with all kinds of injuries due to battles. She was trained and educated at the temple on Chulak by the priests. She is a healer in a long line of healers in her family."

"You know why I hate you so much?" Jack murmured.

"Why?"

"You're always so damn right about anything."

"Yep. That's me. Get used to it." Daniel brushed over Jack's shoulders one last time and then pulled the sleeping bag over him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jack carefully turned his head and blinked sleepily up at him. "You're not done. Get back to work, Doctor Jackson."

"Excuse me?" Daniel's eyebrows wandered over the rim of his glasses.

"Get back to work, please?" Jack grimaced. "Still tense here."

"Feels good, huh?" Daniel pushed aside the garment again and continued his massage. "So why weren't you into it again?"

Jack huffed a frustrated breath and muttered something under his breath.

"What? I didn't quite catch that? It makes you what?"

"Why don't you come down here and I'll tell you again," Jack muttered. "And then we can all blame it on this stuff you're smearing all over me. Makes me high."

Carefully Daniel maneuvered himself so he was lying next to Jack, their noses almost touching. Jack snorted. "If I could move properly I'd be all over you now. It's probably good I can't. Because this is all damn inappropriate. And against everything I've been trained for."

"Don't ask don't tell," Daniel said in a conspiratorial whisper. "What happens in this tent stays in this tent. I won't tell anyone massages make you horny."

"Daniel," Jack growled warningly.

Daniel smiled and moved his head just enough so he could brush his lips against Jack's. He hadn't planned this to happen. He didn't even consciously think about it when it happened. It just did happen. But if he was honest with himself they had worked towards this for a while now, shying away from the final step every time they came too close. But they were sharing a tent for weeks and it wasn't easy to keep your distance if you were living so close together.

They continued to kiss, only feather-light touches of lips on lips. Then Daniel proceeded to kiss the corners of Jack's mouth and Jack licked his lips and smiled. "This is nice."

"Yeah," Daniel whispered.

Everything about Jack was so achingly familiar. Daniel knew Jack's smell, knew how his kisses tasted. And he had missed it. Now that they started he was nearly drunk as his senses re-connected with the sensations Jack ignited in his body and mind. His reaction to Jack was all over the place. He needed to pull back just for a bit... just to get something straight...

"Don't stop," Jack murmured when Daniel just gazed at him.

"I won't. Just promise me one thing?" Daniel traced the outlines of Jack's face with his fingertips.

"What? I'm not up for anything more but this right now... if you intend to... ow... "

"No. Just... don't be an ass about this in the morning."

Jack blinked up at him. "What are you talking about?"

"We need to probably... talk about this at some point..."

"But not now," Jack moaned.

"No, not now. But you might feel different about this tomorrow. About us. Because of the Air Force and all the risks you're about to take by being with me. I won't blame you if you decide to back off and end this tomorrow. But I won't let you treat me like crap or blame me for what we did tonight. Because you want it as much as I do – just for the record. And if we have to walk away from this, we have to do it like, you know, grown-ups." Daniel gazed down into Jack's face, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Did your Jack try to kick you out in the morning?" Jack's eyes were deep and warm and open. He raised a hand and touched Daniel's cheek, then winced. "I SO need to see Fraiser."

"He tried to. It wasn't pretty. But we worked it out. I'm just saying I won't go through that again. I know you have issues. We both probably have. But we have to figure it out one way or the other." Daniel captured Jack's hand in his and entwined their fingers. "I'd like for this to work out," he whispered. "But if it doesn't I'd like to still be able to look you in the eyes. We need to work together."

"Didn't we just establish we don't have to talk about it now?" Jack tugged at Daniel's shirt to pull him back down. But Daniel shook his head and holding Jack's gaze he waited for his answer.

„Da-ni-el," Jack groaned.

"Jack..."

There was a short silence in which Jack closed his eyes and Daniel could almost see the wheels turning behind the high forehead. When he looked at Daniel again he was very serious. "I don't know how I'm gonna feel about this in the morning. Right now it just feels... right."

"And?"

"And if I start bitching at you and treating you like crap you can kick my butt tomorrow," Jack said quietly. "All I know is that I never had the guts to move things forward with my Daniel. And then he was... gone. I'm not willing to throw away any more opportunities because of a law that's wrong on too many levels. It shouldn't keep me from being with you."

"But it's still there," Daniel said softly. "It may be an issue. I'm sure the Air Force has more important problems on its hands than caring about who you're sharing your bed with. But what about you?"

"Daniel, this has never been about me thinking what I felt for my Daniel was sick or wrong. It's always been about not wanting to throw away my future and my career or end up in jail. Priorities have changed now. Everything has. My whole life is upside down. And so is everyone else's. And that's all the talking I'm gonna do for tonight." Jack tried to roll over to his side and cursed again.

"Wait... " Daniel heaved himself up on one elbow and bent down. "This will work for now." His lips closed over Jack's again and Jack's mouth moved against his, warm and dry. Daniel's tongue flicked out, taking a quick swipe of Jack's lips. To his surprise Jack opened his mouth almost instantly to let him in. For Daniel it was like coming home, like re-entering a familiar well loved place. They came up for breath and Daniel needed to re-connect further. Needed to touch. To feel. As he dove in for another kiss his hand slipped into the sleeping bag, fingers ghosting over skin still warm from the earlier massage.

"Oy," Jack murmured after a while.

"What? You okay?" Daniel pulled back and gave him a worried look.

"Can't... move... " Jack moaned frustrated.

"I know, sorry," Daniel mumbled.

"All your fault. I'm sure Frasier would've given me a shot or ice or something. Ow."

"Janet would have stuck your neck into a soft collar. She might still do that if you insist on seeing her tomorrow. And sometimes heat is better than ice."

"And how do we know heat is better than ice in this case?"

"I think Shol'na is capable of knowing that." Daniel said patiently and then shut Jack up with another kiss before the whining could get out of hand.


	5. Earth

**THE ROAD TO FOLLOW**

**V**

**EARTH**

"Qetesh has left Chulak three days ago," Bra'tac said, his scarred face furrowed with worry. "She took an Al'kesh and a small troop of Jaffa with her. Her destination is unknown by the brothers I talked to."

"Could she be on her way to Cal Mah?" General Hammond asked.

"I do not believe so," Teal'c replied. "Before we left only Bra'tac, M'Zel, and I knew the coordinates of our destination."

"M'Zel?" Jack frowned. "That fella doesn't seem too happy about your current situation."

"M'Zel is young. And impatient. But he is not a traitor," Bra'tac said firmly.

"So if she isn't on her way to Cal Mah, where else might she go?" Hammond folded his hands over the files on the table. They had gathered in the briefing room at the Alpha site for their weekly briefing.

"She might visit other planets of her territory to make sure everyone is aware she's the new goddess," Daniel suggested. "She has a vast area to cover. Ba'al left her a huge heritage."

"That may be so," Teal'c agreed. "But she would most likely take a Ha'tak for journeys such as this. And she would have taken more of her men to demonstrate power."

"I agree." Bra'tac nodded. "And everyone would know about this because Qetesh would have announced it properly before she left."

"So everyone knows the mistress is taking over the universe?" Jack snorted.

"Indeed."

"So she must go somewhere she already established her leadership... god status, whatever. Because she only took one Al'kesh," Daniel said.

"I believe so," Teal'c agreed.

"What if they found Ba'al," Daniel said in the following silence. Everyone turned to look at him. He shrugged. "His clone could have decided it's time to come out of hiding. Or someone accidentally saw him. I'm sure if there really IS a clone, he has ways and connections to know what's going on and that his original is dead. Ba'al is always prepared. He's smart. And dangerous. He won't allow Qetesh to just step in his place and gain so much power."

"I agree," Bra'tac said and Teal'c inclined his head.

"That still doesn't tell us where she went," Jack muttered.

"If she's after Ba'al all we have to do is find out where he is hiding," Daniel said slowly, absently chewing on his lower lip.

"Oh, really? Piece of cake then."

"I'm thinking, Jack."

"Think harder, Daniel, because I got nothing."

Daniel glared at his friend, who in return raised and waggled his eyebrows. "Okay. To pinpoint the most likely locations of where Ba'al might hide we need to think like Ba'al," he finally said. "We have to take into consideration everything he knows about the timeline, about us, about the universe." Daniel tapped his lips with a pen and mentally jotted down all the possible worlds Ba'al might chose for a hiding place. There were too many.

"It has to be a place where Qetesh wouldn't find him. So he's probably not on Earth," Jack said.

"Then again, Earth might be the perfect sport right now. There's chaos. I don't think the Jaffa have managed to bring back order into everything yet." Daniel put his pen down. "Most of the planets we have visited that were enslaved by the Goa'uld were less advanced than Earth. Partly because the Goa'uld made sure to destroy or steal any technology they could get their hands on and partly because some of those planets were taken over before they could develop industrial stages. Add to it that the Goa'uld didn't allow education on most of these worlds and they regressed in knowledge, cultural development, and technology or science. Now, Earth is at a point where taking away all that smoothly is going to be difficult. It will take a long time for Qetesh and her troops to restore order as they wish it to be."

"There will be resistance on all levels," General Hammond agreed. "However, before we left I got an overview on the situation and the Goa'uld already destroyed vast parts of metropolitan cities. Moscow, Washington, London, Hong Kong, Sidney, and Berlin were under massive fire. They certainly know how to destroy a civilization."

"I know that. But wherever there are humans left they'll try to organize underground groups, they'll try to contact others. Someone will find a way somehow... to try and fight in any way they can as long as they can. Now, what if Ba'al is hiding somewhere on Earth biding his time or... or even helping people to prepare an uprising against Qetesh? In my timeline he has lived among us before and we never knew."

"Are you suggesting Ba'al is on Earth leading some underground group to kill Qetesh?" Hammond didn't look convinced.

"I don't know! It's just a possibility. He could easily gather a lot of people. He has leadership skills, and he would do anything if it serves his own agenda. To take out Qetesh. And Earth is still traumatized from what has happened so it would be logical to hide there and make plans."

"I think Daniel is on to something here," Jack said slowly.

"Yet, it's all very hypothetically spoken," Hammond reminded them. He looked old; the stress and the major responsibility he carried on his broad shoulders showing in his face. _And grief,_ Daniel thought, distraught. _So much grief everywhere._ The general had to leave his daughter and grandchildren behind. There wasn't enough time... There was never enough time...

He hefted his eyes on Jack, seeking momentarily comfort from the calm reassuring presence on the other side of the table. Chocolate brown eyes looked back at him and for a moment Daniel allowed himself to be soothed by the warmth he saw in them.

"However," Hammond continued after a moment. "There has been no word from Colonels Carter and Mitchell yet. Is it possible to organize another ship, Teal'c? The president thinks it's time to send in someone for S and R and I agree. Plus, we need to know what's going on at home."

"I'll go," Jack volunteered at once.

"We'll go," Daniel said tightly, daring Jack with a cold look to challenge him on this one.

"Daniel..."

"I will accompany you," Teal'c stated quietly after sharing a look with Bra'tac.

"Doctor Jackson,..." the general began wearily, but Daniel raised a hand. It had advantages to be the civilian in the crowd.

"I know what you're going to say, but... just hear me out. If Ba'al is there you need someone who knows him. And I'm going to take enough medical supplies to take care of my leg. It worked on Cal Mah... ."

"You were able to come through at any time if there were issues with your leg on Cal Mah though," Hammond said. "I also would feel more comfortable keeping you here if there are any more misunderstandings between us and our allies."

"There'll still be hospitals somewhere," Daniel replied, his eyes on Jack's unreadable face. Oh, he was good in hiding his true feelings. But the way his fingers tightened around his pen and the way his eyes narrowed just a fraction gave it away. Jack wasn't happy. But for some reason he didn't voice his disapproval of Daniel going on this mission with him.

"O'Neill and DanielJackson have proved to us that they are willing to learn our ways and work to help us build a colony on Cal Mah. They will now prove they have the hearts of warriors. If you are successful on this mission and bring down Qetesh you will be heroes among our brothers," Teal'c pointed out.

"First we'll need a ship though," Hammond said.

"It will not be easy," Bra'tac replied, "but Teal'c and I will see to it."

"Very well. In the meantime I want you to find someone to take your place in case we have to work out more details about our treaty with the Jaffa on Cal Mah, Doctor Jackson." Hammond didn't look happy, but he knew he couldn't just send anyone to Earth, and most of the previous SG teams were assigned to re-build the civilization at the Alpha site and make daily life possible. "You're dismissed." He stood and walked off into his office.

"You took this very well," Daniel teased Jack once they were on their way to the commissary. Bra'tac and Teal'c had left immediately after the briefing.

Jack, who hadn't said a word to him until now, stopped walking and jammed his hands into his pant pockets. "Hammond cleared you to go. There's not much I can do about it, is there?"

"Oh? Someone's mad," Daniel raised his eyebrows. "And here I was thinking you're happy about the company."

"Oh, sure I am! I'm delighted to have to drag you through whatever is left of Earth and to make sure you won't lose your other damn leg!" There was so much sarcasm in Jack's voice, so much anger, Daniel could only stand there and blink.

"What..." he started, but Jack cut him off.

"This isn't some building-a-cabin or mingle-with-the-natives program, Daniel. So you figured out a way to join the party – great for you! But it'll be up to me to haul your ass out of any trouble you'll get in!"

"Where the hell did that come from?" he asked in a deadly quiet voice.

"Oh, for crying out loud... " Jack brushed past him and walked on in angry strides.

Daniel shook his head as if someone just poured a bucket of ice water over him. Then he swallowed every four letter word coming to mind and took off in the opposite direction.

###

He watched Cameron Balinsky leave his office and slumped on his desk chair, absently rubbing his thigh. He had just given his colleague all his notes about the Jaffa treaty and the stages of negotiations. He had also promised Balinsky to give him the journal. It was still on Cal Mah so Daniel would bring it through before they left.

Daniel mused over the fact that even out here, away from Earth, paperwork had already found its way into the new established order of things. There were memos on his desk bearing an "Alpha Site Air Force" logo. For the next hour Daniel went through files and folders, trying to steer away from his anger.

He needed to find a way to talk to Jack without letting hurt feelings getting in the way. They had to sort this out before the mission.

He felt his stomach growl in anticipation of dinner, but he was reluctant to leave his office. He wasn't ready to run into Jack and face the music. Or rather he wasn't sure if Jack would survive facing the music if they had to spend time in the same room right now...

A movement by the open door made Daniel look up and stare at the forlorn figure leaning in the doorway watching him. "How long have you been standing there?" he snapped. Apparently he needed more time to find calmness.

"Brought you dinner," Jack said in the same tone. He sauntered in, pushed the door close with his boot, and slammed a tray on Daniel's desk. There was a sandwich and a cup of freshly brewed MRE instant coffee. Half of the coffee spilled over the rim of the cup, soaking the sandwich on its plate.

"Thank you," Daniel sniped back. "You didn't have to."

"Eat," Jack ordered bluntly. "It's late."

"Look, _dad_." Daniel picked up the dripping sandwich, grimaced and dropped it into the wastebasket next to his desk. "You ruined it."

They glared at each other and Jack's mouth twitched. "Sorry."

"For what exactly?"

"For ruining your sandwich?"

"Oh?"

Jack let out a huff of breath and absently reached for a pencil sharpener on the desk. His hands occupied with fiddling, he scowled at Daniel. "I might've been a little... uh... you know..."

"Yeah?" Daniel wasn't going to give him an inch here.

"Fine." Jack dropped the pencil sharpener and threw up his hands in surrender. "I screwed up, I apologize. I was wrong, I'm sorry."

"That's not good enough, Jack. You were attacking me out of the blue about something you very well know isn't true. I won't slow you down on this mission." Except he probably would and they both knew that. But they used to be a team. And Teal'c, who hadn't known him until they met in the gate room a couple of months ago, had more faith in him than his own people. Trusted him more than Jack did. This Jack. After all they had already gone through together...

It cut deeper than Daniel was ready to admit. He hated to think of himself as pathetic, but there it was.

Jack gnawed on his lip and looked like he wanted to be faced with a herd of crazy Goa'uld rather than Daniel. "It's just that I don't know what we're facing here."

"You didn't know what you were facing when you took me to Cimmeria either."

"That was different."

"How?"

"It just was, okay?" Jack snapped, back to being defensive.

"No, it's not okay. Why was it different?"

"Because you knew what we were up against then."

"And you trusted me?" Daniel inquired with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes! I did!"

"Right."

"Oh c'mon! You know I did. Even when you roped Carter in and decided to change the timeline... "

"Then why can't you trust me on this? I'll be fine. I'll deal. And it's not as if you wouldn't look out for me if I had two whole legs. It's what you do – no matter that I can look after myself. You... "

"That's what he did, right? Watching your six out there?"

Daniel blinked, surprised by the softness of Jack's voice. "Well, yeah, we both looked out for each other. We all did."

"Only he was more than a friend to you," Jack pointed out.

"Not from the beginning, but, yeah. Where are you going with this, Jack?"

"How could it not have compromised him? Both of you actually. Being... being lovers, whatever you want to call it, and going out there together."

"I don't know," Daniel said. "It just didn't. We were friends long before we became lovers and we never let that get in the way. But we didn't have to. SG-1 was close knit, we were a good working team. And friends. 'Nobody gets left behind' and 'Never say Die' were two of our rules."

"Except sometimes there's no choice," Jack said quietly.

"I know. It happens. But if it happens it's nobody's fault." He wasn't going to share with Jack how many times he had died or how many times the whole team or one of them had gone AWOL. Jack was a military man with years and years of field experience, he didn't need a lecture about missions gone wrong and losing team members. Yet, Daniel couldn't figure out what this was about exactly.

"Maybe I don't want to leave you behind. Ever. And I don't give a damn if it'd be my fault or not," Jack ground out. "I've never been in a position like this before and I'm too old for this crap to be starting now."

Daniel blinked. "What?"

"You almost died on me on Chulak."

"But I didn't."

"You could have." Jack said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So I could have. I could have died in the gate room when we returned to Earth. I could have fucking died at Ba'al's fail safe place when Qetesh sent her troops in. But I didn't. Whatever issue you might have with my leg, there's no need to panic."

"It's not about your leg." Jack glanced back at the closed door. "It's about you. Me. Us. This."

"This." Daniel asked, scrunching up his face as he tried to figure it all out. Then he had an epiphany of sorts. "Oh. Us." Licking his lips, Daniel tried to find words to reassure Jack that they would both make it, that there was no need for worrying. That they would be able to focus on the mission and not let their personal feelings for each other get in the way. Except that was all a load of BS. They always focused on the mission, but feelings were feelings and they were there whether or not you consciously thought about them.

Only they had been used to living with their personal feelings even before things had changed between Jack and Daniel. SG-1 was special. Always had been.

"Look," Jack sighed. "I'm not stupid. I know how to put personal stuff aside and I've worked with close friends before, I also lost some of them. It always sucks and it's always hard. But this is different. We have no idea what's out there. We're talking 'end of the world scenario' here."

"I know."

"No. No, you don't." The anger was back in Jack's eyes as he came around the desk, grabbed Daniel by the lapels of his shirt and pushed him against the next shelf, pinning him there. Daniel could have easily broken free from Jack's grip, but he chose not to.

He stayed perfectly still and just looked into those stormy brown eyes, waited for Jack to spill it. Talking touchy feeling stuff always had been like pulling teeth between them. He had forgotten about this because it had become easier with each year they had spent together. Now it was starting all over again and Daniel was ahead of Jack in many things concerning this relationship. So he just waited it out.

"You might be used to this, but I never went on a mission with my lover in tow. One of the things that always helped me through crappy missions was the knowledge my family – and later Daniel – were safe at home waiting for me." Jack looked spooked suddenly as if he realized he had given something away he didn't intend to. He grimaced and let go of Daniel. Then he reached out and adjusted his shirt, a sheepish little grin curling his lips.

"I know. It'll be fine."

"I do trust you. And I know you can take care of yourself," Jack said urgently and his eyes added; _I'm just worried._

This almost put a smile on Daniel's face, but he knew better than to let it show. "I know," he said gently, realizing just how similar his Jacks were. It ached, but it was also comforting on a lot of levels.

Jack gave him a crooked smile. "Want me to buy you proper dinner? Well, as proper as commissary MRE dinner can get."

"Sure, been waiting for you to take me out for ages."

"One day," Jack promised, pressing his palm against the small of Daniel's back as they left his office, "I'll treat you to a real dinner. Candlelight even if you like that."

###

"We will reach Earth in approximately thirty minutes," Teal'c, who stood at the helm, said.

"Is there any way you can detect Carter and Mitchell with your fancy scanners?" Jack asked.

"I cannot. The tel'tak's scanners are not very advanced. There are five motherships in orbit. I cannot detect another tel'tak. But it may be cloaked. If ColonelCarter and ColonelMitchel are on the surface and not in scanner range, it is not possible for me to scan for them."

"Right. Hopefully they're in the complex," Jack said.

"What if they aren't?" Daniel adjusted his tac vest and made sure everything was where it should be. Ammo, Beretta, radio, knife, first aid items for his leg. Jack handed him a coat and he pulled it over his gear. They had decided showing themselves in full military gear wouldn't go over well with any Jaffa troops that might patrol somewhere close to Area 51.

"We'll find them," Jack said, pulling his green cap over his head. He, too, was wearing a coat over his BDUs. Teal'c was in full Jaffa gear. He would hide his face under the helmet and drag Jack and Daniel along as his prisoners. It was the best cover they could hope for should they be discovered.

"Wow," Daniel said, gazing at his watch.

"What?" Jack looked up from the zat he was inspecting.

"Today is the twentieth of December," Daniel said quietly.

"Ah." Jack shrugged and put the zat into his belt holster underneath his coat. "Merry almost Christmas."

"What is Christmas?" Teal'c asked.

Jack grinned. "Daniel? Want to share some cultural stuff here?"

And for the next thirty minutes he explained Christmas and its origin to Teal'c, who listened with interest.

Then Teal'c announced they were entering Earth's atmosphere.

"Are we still cloaked?" Jack asked.

"Yes. It is possible to stay cloaked during the landing process as well," Teal'c reassured him. "I am scanning the area around Groom Lake now. There does not appear to be any Al'kesh here."

They went down near Groom Lake and after one last gear check they left the ship. It was chilly and dark, but a full moon provided enough light so they could find their way through the rocks and paths down into the valley. Halfway down they settled behind a rock formation. Underneath them lay the base.

"There's not much going on. One would think Jaffa were swarming all over the place," Daniel said.

"Yeah. Looks pretty undamaged. And no troops," Jack agreed. "But then it's the middle of the night." He let his binoculars wander over the mountain tops on the other side of Area 51. "Can't see any cammo dudes."

"What are cammo dudes?" Teal'c asked.

"Security guards who nail anyone trying to cross the border from the public land to the restricted Area of the base. It's a huge area where traveling through isn't allowed," Daniel explained. He couldn't see any guards either. They were usually sitting in white jeep Cherokees or black pick-up trucks, in visible range for everyone on the mountain tops so people knew in advance they were getting close to the border.

"An execution patrol," Teal'c assumed.

"Uh, no. They just keep you until the sheriff arrives to take you to jail and interrogate you. If you accidentally cross the borders you'll get a warning and have to pay a fee of … "

"Down!" Jack barked and they went to the ground as one, pressing their bodies flat to the hard cold stones as several projectiles swished over their heads.

They moved carefully away from their spot, crawling through the rubble and dry grass on their fronts. Finally hidden behind a large crag, Teal'c said, "These were not Jaffa weapons," He prepared his staff to fire. But Jack put a hand on his arm. "Don't. If those are our people maybe Qetesh's troops didn't set foot in here yet."

"Snipers?" Daniel asked in a hushed voice.

"I only saw him for a second and only because the moonlight reflected on something," Jack said. He slapped his radio. "This is General Jack O'Neill, US Air Force. Cease fire. I repeat, cease fire!"

"This is Captain Baker. What is your authentication code?"

Jack gave him the code and after a moment of silence, Baker's voice replied, "I need to talk to my commanding officer to approve the code. What's your position?"

"We're south of Paradise Ranch up in the mountains. We're being shot at, which is not good for our health. Now, we need to contact two of our unit who might be somewhere in the complex."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and Daniel knew he would have to explain about Paradise Ranch later.

There was a few minutes of silence, then Baker was back. "Authentication code accepted. General O'Neill, how large is your unit?"

"Four, minus the two missing," Jack said. "We have reason to believe Major Carter and Colonel Mitchell stopped by some time ago."

"You were commander of the new base near McMurdo. That base was destroyed months ago." The captain sounded insecure now.

"I know that. Who's in command of this base? It's not in enemy hands?"

"No, sir. Colonel Maybourne, sir."

"Good. Contact him and tell him Jack O'Neill is here and needs to get in. I am not your enemy, son."

"Do not – I repeat – do not try to move any further until I have my orders," Captain Baker said sharply.

"Copy that. O'Neill out." He shrugged. "Looks like we're taking a break." He patted Teal'c's arm. "Once we're cleared to go in you'll return to the ship and wait there. If necessary ring us out of base, but not until I contact you."

"You will use the radio?" Teal'c looked down at the radio attached to his belt with an almost-scowl, but admitted. "These communication devices are very efficient"

"Yep."

"Maybourne," Daniel muttered.

"Yeah. We're not exactly friends, but he'll know I'm not one of the bad guys," Jack said, then grinned. "You know a Maybourne too?"

"Ye-ah. And he's not exactly one of the good guys. Well, he turned around sorta, but... it's a long story," Daniel said, leaning his head against the rock.

"Why do you call your Area 51 Paradise Ranch?" Teal'c inquired.

"It's a nick name. This whole area is a secret military testing site. People who work here have lots of names for it." Jack pulled off his cap and scrubbed a hand through his hair.

"A code name," Teal'c said.

"Yep."

It didn't take long for Jack's radio to crackle again. Captain Baker assured them safe passage to the main gate where a troop of cammo dudes would escort them inside the complex. Jack clapped Teal'c's broad shoulder in a silent good-bye and they emerged from behind the mountain to enter Paradise Ranch.

###

The men who escorted them through all the check points didn't utter a word, but Daniel sensed their tension. These were fickle times and there was a nervous electrical energy in the air. The cammo dudes were armed to their eyeballs and even though Daniel knew they were on the same page, he didn't feel particularly safe among the soldiers.

"Electricity only works here because the complex has its own generators," Baker informed them as a thick steel doors swished open before them. "There is power failure all over the country."

They walked down a bleak long corridor at one of the lower levels. Captain Baker took lead and a moment later Jack and Daniel entered a spacious office.

"General O'Neill!" Maybourne left his desk and hurried to greet them. "It's good to see you! Did you fall out of the sky?" With a nod he dismissed Baker, who hurried out and closed the door behind himself. Maybourne ushered them to a visitor area in a corner and they sat on comfy leather couches.

"Something like that," Jack said and declined the drink Maybourne put in front of him. "This is Doctor Daniel Jackson," he introduced Daniel. "He works for the program as civilian consultant."

Maybourne's small eyes scurried over Daniel as if he was a nice tapestry. "Doctor Jackson," he said smoothly, then his attention returned to Jack. "What are you doing here?"

"Several months ago we sent two officers for recon. Their orders were to land here because we figured Qetesh might not know about Area 51," Jack said. "We never heard from them again. So Hammond sent us for S and R. And to figure out what's going on."

Maybourne pursed his lips. "They aren't here. Not anymore."

Daniel bent forward. "But they were here? When?"

"Carter and Mitchell, right? Yes, they were here. Approximately four weeks ago. Said they were coming from the Alpha Site. They stayed for a while and then they left. They wanted to contact Mister Kapour in San Diego."

Jack and Daniel exchanged a look. "Kapour?" Jack asked dubiously. "Who's that?"

"He's one of the leading forces against Qetesh. A civilian. No one really knows where he came from. But he has a running radio station and his men are trying to gather followers. People do listen to him and his spokesmen. This is a desperate world now, General. People need encouragement and someone with fighting spirits. Wide areas all over the country are partly powerless and we have no idea what's going on outside of the United States. But we know they attacked everywhere. China, Japan, Russian, Europe... For weeks now we've been totally cut off from the rest of the world. Nothing works properly or for only a few hours a day. There are a few radio stations airing from various places in the US, reporting the whole magnitude of destruction in their area. Houston has lost military facilities and most of downtown is gone. Washington looks similar. As far as I know most of the Pentagon is nothing more than rubble now. Huge parts of New York are gone, same as L.A.. At least those were the last reports we got."

Jack didn't flinch nor move at the mentioning of Los Angeles, but Daniel saw his face harden for a fraction. He could only imagine what was going through his head right now. Was Charlie still alive? And if he was, where was he now? Did he try to escape into the mountains? Was there even enough time to escape to somewhere? But Jack sat motionless and listened to Maybourne's ongoing report about Earth's current status.

It didn't look good.

Every larger airport that hadn't been destroyed in the attacks was closed and planes or helicopters spotted by the Jaffa were shot down immediately. There were Jaffa troops everywhere in the larger cities so people were trying to flee into the suburbs and small communities which resulted in supply and health care problems. The power loss was another problem, especially at this time of year. Everyone who owned a fireplace was a lucky person. Those who still had a home were required to share room with families who lost their houses through attacks or were driven out by landlords because they couldn't pay the rent anymore. Not that money would mean anything long term if Qetesh decided to destroy what was left of Earth's economy.

The police were trying to keep a certain level of order in their counties, but there was plundering and violence everywhere and it was simply impossible to stay on top of the situation.

Chaos.

"And then," Maybourne said at one point. "There are a very unsettling number of groups who declared themselves loyal to this Qetesh character and work for the Jaffa in order to survive or because it gives them power. So there's a new net of militia doing the dirty work of turning people in who aren't loyal. They're raiding and terrorizing neighborhoods to get people to obey Qetesh's troops. And they're doing a mean job, too. Everyone who officially works for Qetesh is promised a home, electricity and protection through the militia and the Jaffa. There's talk about rewards of all kinds."

"Did she ever show up somewhere?" Daniel asked. "I mean has anyone ever seen her? The Goa'uld have the habit of making a show of everything. So was there some kind of gathering where she held speeches and, you know, told people they are doomed if they didn't follow her lead?"

Maybourne turned to look at him and pulled a face. "It was quite a show. Her face appeared in the sky. Some kind of projection or something."

"Holograph," Daniel said helpfully.

"Very advanced holographic technology," Maybourne said grimly. "Her head was as big as Australia! And her voice was probably even heard in Antarctica."

"What did she say?" Daniel asked.

"She informed us she is our new leader... no, our new goddess and we have to worship her always. And then she said that while our planet doesn't make for good mining resources because we have no Trinium or Naquadah, whatever that is... ."

"Trinium is an incredibly strong and lightweight alloy. Unrefined, it's extremely brittle, and unsuitable for manufacturing purposes. When refined, however, the metal is approximately 100 times lighter and stronger than steel. Naquadah is a mineral. The Stargates are made from it and most Goa'uld technology is based on it," Daniel explained which resulted in Maybourne staring at him with new interest.

"You seem to have a lot of Intel on our enemy, Doctor Jackson."

"Yes. I studied the Goa'uld."

"Studied them? On the Alpha site?" Maybourne's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"It's a long story and classified. Let's just say Daniel knows what he's talking about," Jack cut in. "What else did Qetesh say in her little speech to Earth?"

"Well, she proposed great praise and rewards for those who prove themselves loyal to her and threatened everyone else with certain death and torture. She advised us not to struggle, fight or resist in any form."

"Okay, uh, did she say what exactly she wants? Since she won't enslave you for mining," Daniel asked.

"She said she has great plans for us and as long as we cooperate nobody is going to be harmed." Maybourne shrugged. "She didn't go into any specific detail."

"Hosts maybe," Daniel thought out loud. "She could turn Earth into some giant breeding farm."

"Yeah, but if I get it right she wants to keep all the power. If she makes more of those snakeheads she might get overruled one day," Jack pointed out.

"Not if she keeps them as underlings. So many planets need taking care of. Minor system lords usually serve the powerful ones."

"Hosts?" Maybourne groused. "Your Colonel Carter explained the whole parasite thing to us." The colonel paled and grimaced. "That's disgusting."

"This Kapour guy," Daniel interrupted. "Who is he? What does he look like? And most important – why did Sam and Cam go after him?"

"He doesn't look like much. Small guy, glasses, black hair. looks Indian. He's rich, had lots of influence with the higher ups and his business used to be in the oil industry. Ever since the first attack he promises freedom."

So the mysterious Mr. Kapour wasn't Ba'al. The descriptions didn't match. But something must have urged Sam and Cam to go and find him. Maybourne poured himself another drink. "Colonels Mitchell and Carter were very interested in those shows. Senator Kinsey isn't happy about Kapour meddling ... ."

"Kinsey's still alive?" Jack cut him off. "That bastard." He held up a silencing finger when Maybourne opened his mouth. "Let me guess! He's taken it upon himself to lead this nation now that Hayes is gone."

"Sure is, Jack, sure is." Maybourne didn't look all too happy either.

"Where is the temporary government located anyway?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, they're still in DC – in what's left of the White House. There's a secured basement level underground and Kinsey is pulling the strings from there. Anyway, Kinsey and his staff are in negotiations with Qetesh and her so called First Prime. She arrived a while ago. Apparently they're trying to work out a treaty."

Daniel let out a hollow laugh. "A treaty? With Qetesh? Good luck on that one."

"Kinsey's going to sell everybody's soul to that woman as long as he comes out of it smelling like roses. He'll be the savior of Earth if he gets Qetesh to give us a certain standard of living and if she leaves us alone in exchange for whatever she wants. He already talked her into giving back permanent power to certain facilities such as hospitals," the colonel said.

"In exchange for what?" Jack asked.

"I don't know." Maybourne huffed, reaching for his whiskey glass again.

Jack glared at him. "You need a clear head, Colonel."

"Believe me I'm only a puppet in this amusing little play. It doesn't matter whether I'm drunk or not. And I won't have many more opportunities to get drunk anyway. This was the only bottle I had in my office." He brushed a hand over the label of the bottle in an almost tender gesture.

"It might matter to your people," Jack snapped. "For crying out loud, Harry – get your act together."

Harry snorted. "My people and I are working for Kinsey. And Kinsey is in bed with the devil."

"Does Qetesh know about this base?" Jack asked sharply.

"I don't know. It's not like Kinsey is telling me everything. Maybe she knows and he promised to share our most classified secrets with her if she doesn't bomb us to ashes for now. Maybe he didn't tell her so he has at least one facility intact as a retreat if she goes back on whatever she promised him." Maybourne shrugged. "I haven't left this base in weeks. My orders are to stay here and keep things going as good as possible under the circumstances."

"And to make sure no one else finds his way in here," Daniel said.

"No civilians and none of the mobs trying to make enough noise to be heard. This is still a military base after all."

"Yet," Jack said slowly, "You let Carter and Mitchell leave to find this Kapour guy."

Harry threw up his hands. "Hey, I don't like what's going on here anymore than you do. If those two find the means to support that guy – why not? I don't have anything to lose. So yes, I let them go and I didn't report them to Kinsey. They have this ship and weapons. I figure if they can help Kapour it's for the best."

Jack and Daniel exchanged another look. "How much did Carter and Mitchell tell you about the Alpha site and our current situation?" Jack asked finally.

It turned out Maybourne had been briefed about the Jaffa alliance and most of the basic intel about what was going on at the Alpha site. "Need to know basis, but it was still enough to make my toes curl. The NID was informed about Stargate Command in Antarctica, but we hadn't heard anything new since the attack."

"We gotta go," Jack finally ended the conversation.

"Where to? You just got here." Maybourne asked, puzzled.

"To find this Kapour guy. He probably can lead us to Carter and Mitchell." Jack said. "Do you have an address?"

Maybourne stood and picked up the whiskey bottle to put it away in its cabinet. "No. Nobody knows where exactly he is. Times are dangerous, Kapour knows that. But it has to be somewhere secure seeing as the Jaffa didn't find him yet."

"He needs power to run a radio station," Daniel said thoughtfully.

"He's been rich, he probably has his own generator. I have no idea. The frequencies change every day so he can't be traced." Maybourne scrubbed a hand over his chin and his eyes narrowed for a moment. "Actually this is pretty weird. Even before Mitchell and Carter got here we were trying to find Kapour. Kinsey's orders are to find him and escort him to DC. Nobody around here liked the idea, but we had our orders and gave it a go. We tried to track him down, using the frequencies he's sending from. But none of our equipment seems to work. And every time we think we pinpointed him, the signal vanishes from our screens and he's gone again."

Jack and Daniel exchanged a look. "A forcefield?" Jack asked.

Daniel pursed his lips and thought about it for a moment. "Probably. Or he's laying false tracks using retransmitters."

"He's playing with us," Maybourne agreed. "He's smart. And has advanced enough technology left to trick our scanners and systems into not finding him."

"He might have some kind of warning system so he knows when you're trying to track him down. Then he goes offline and uses another frequency to continue," Daniel said.

"Well, according to one of our recent attempt to find him, he's somewhere near Denver. That's where we sent Mitchell and Carter. However, that's old news. We spotted him sending out his messages in Florida, Minnesota and California in the meantime. My guess is he has several groups all over the country. How he managed to pull off an underground organization that big so fast is beyond me though," Maybourne said, reluctant admiration in his voice. "He's good."

"Yeah, figured as much." Jack scrubbed a hand through his short hair and looked frustrated. "Well, we have to try."

"And then what?" Maybourne asked. "Let's assume you do find your people and Kapour... what then?"

"Then we'll get as much intel we can get," Jack said.

"And find a way to end it," Daniel added.

Maybourne stared at him for a second, then started laughing. It was a bitter, hollow sound. "Yeah, right. " But he sobered again quickly and shook his head. "Maybe you'll really find him. Maybe you're going to make a difference. You've never been her as far as I'm concerned. So... good luck."

Jack gave Harry a sloppy salute. "Thanks."

"One way or another we'll deal with Qetesh and Kinsey," Daniel said with a thin humorless smile. "What a nice pair they must make. One in spirit." _It's Vala, Vala is somewhere in Qetesh,_ a voice hissed at the back of his mind. Daniel closed his eyes briefly. Qetesh was still evil. She had to go.

"You have a lot of faith," Harry sighed.

"Someone has to." And he knew it was true. They wouldn't give up. He hadn't given up before and he wouldn't now. He had been very close to his breaking point in a prison cell some time ago. He never came this close again to just lying down and letting it all go... But then his survival instinct had kicked in and Teal'c had come to break them out. And he went on. As he always had and as he always would. And it didn't matter if it took another ten years or longer to free Earth and get rid of the Goa'uld once again.

Fate had decided he had to stay and live in this timeline, so he would do what he had to do to help and make his stay here worthwhile.

###

Daniel was grateful for the coat he was wearing over his field BDUs. Denver was covered by a thin layer of snow that had frozen over. Temperatures were way below freezing point and the snow was harsh and crunchy under their boots. They wandered through Downtown and in the setting sun they saw ruins. Skeletons of steel and concrete instead of skyscrapers which used to house banks and offices. Freeways were closed or had collapsed under attacks.

They passed a mall, the neon lights dead and the huge entrance dark. The streets however, were busy with hurrying-along people. Everyone passing by quickly, their heads lowered, minding their own business. The traffic lights didn't work, but they weren't needed anymore. Cars stood still and dark, some in the middle of the roads as if their owner had been made to leave them where they were. Other cars had been burnt and resembled some of the buildings in their looks. Dead and broken. Jaffa troops were patrolling the sidewalks, urging people on to move faster. Apparently it wasn't allowed to stop and chat – not that anyone tried.

Jack and Daniel melted into the stream of people, keeping their heads down as well. Daniel wondered where these men and women were headed. From or to work? Did they even have jobs? What kind of order did the Jaffa establish here? What about shops, factories, stores? But then, there was no power, and without power most aspects of the civil western life were gone.

"There's a Starbucks," Jack muttered, tugging at his arm.

"Is it open?" Daniel asked against better judgment, looking up and squinting through his glasses into the dusk. There were no traffic lights, no street lights,... He saw the building to their right and his question was answered right away. The large Starbuck's sign over the door was dark and crashed smashed. "It's part of the mall," Daniel observed, his eyes traveling over the dark and neon signs and large store windows. The double doors at the entrance were closed and locked with a huge chain.

Jack rubbed his hands. "Damn, I could do with a coffee right now."

"Yeah."

"We need a place to stay. No use in stumbling through the city by night without a trace." Teal'c had ringed them down to a deserted warehouse. He would stay in orbit, cloaked from the detection of Qetesh's ships that were hovering above Earth. The ring-down had gone unnoticed, but Jack had ordered radio silence for the next two days while they tried to find Kapour and his resistance group. Jack had mourned the fact the Tel'tak didn't have the same "fancy scanners" as the Asgard ship, so Teal'c hadn't been able to locate the frequency of Kapour's TV or radio station from orbit.

"We have to get off the road," Daniel said, eying the group of Jaffa ahead of them. They had singled out two men and a woman from the stream of people. Three staffs were aimed at them while a fourth guard knelt on the ground and searched through what appeared to be a backpack. There was a lot of yelling going on, but most of the words were swallowed by the gusty wind.

Jack and Daniel gradually moved closer to the buildings on their left. Swallowed by the shadows they pressed themselves against the cold wall and waited.

Out on the road, staffs were fired, followed by the screams of the woman as she was dragged away and pushed back onto the sidewalk. The Jaffa barked at her to keep walking, then it was quiet again except for some hushed words among the people, a cough here and there and the faint sounds of walking feet. But finally the stream of people dwindled down to a trickle and another group of serpent guards on their heels.

"Now," Jack hissed and they began to move again. They kept close to the buildings until they reached the next corner. There they turned left.

###

Daniel looked up and down the street they had turned into a couple of minutes ago. It was framed by apartment buildings. There were no lights behind the windows, no signs of people living here. It was cold and empty.

"You think someone still lives here?" Daniel wrapped his coat more tightly around himself.

Jack's eyes scanned the facades of the houses thoughtfully. He waved at Daniel to follow him and turned left toward the next building. There was an archway leading into a backstreet. More apartment buildings, built in U-shape. Daniel could make out dark front doors.

Jack chose a middle building and headed to the door. He pressed several bell buttons.

"What are you doing? Asking people if they have bed and breakfast for us?" Daniel hissed, looking up and down the street. It was deserted.

"Figuring out if somebody's home," Jack muttered.

"Well, I wouldn't open the door to anyone if I lived here," Daniel snorted.

Jack pushed against the front door and it opened into a pitch black hall. The smell of garbage and urine made them both grimace. Apparently someone had spent some time here, hiding. Daniel pulled his gun and next to him Jack did the same. In order to see anything at all they had no choice but to turn on their flashlights. A quick survey revealed there wasn't anyone hiding in the corners or under the stairs. There was a broken elevator with open doors. Empty beer cans and other thrown away trash was piling up in the empty cabin.

"Cozy," Jack muttered.

The beams of their lights scurried up the stairway. It was littered with paper bags. Twinkie boxes and more beer cans. An old blanket hung over the banister and as they slowly descended the stairs, Daniel found a bundle of clothes stuffed into a corner. A group of people had probably lived here for a while until they had been tracked down by the Jaffa or found a better hiding place. As they explored the building they discovered broken down doors to the apartments. On the first floor every apartment had been plundered and vandalized.

"Upper class neighborhood," Jack snorted.

"Used to be, I guess." Daniel's flashlight caught a torn apart couch and a Plasma V, thrown to the floor, its screen cracked. On their way through the house they found raided kitchens and pantries. Either the former owners had taken everything with them or other hungry people had taken any food they could find.

They investigated several more buildings in the block and everywhere they were met by the sight of destruction and neglect.

In a corner building on the sixth floor was a closed, but unlocked, door leading onto a separate stairwell. "Oh, for..." In the beam of Jack's light broken eyes stared up at them out of a pale unshaven face.

Jack turned away from the corpse at the bottom of the narrow stairs. "Let's..."

A faint, but heart wrenching cry let them freeze. They looked at each other in anticipating silence. There it was again, sad and pained. Cursing under his breath, Jack gingerly stepped over the dead body and climbed a couple of stairs before he stopped. "Hey! Is somebody up there?" Another whine was the answer.

"That's a kid," Daniel groused.

"C'mon." Jack quickly took the rest of the stairs and Daniel followed suit. They stopped at another door. This one turned out to be locked. "Gimme some light," he ordered as he started to search his pockets for something.

In the beam of his light Daniel watched as Jack pulled out a Swiss army knife with all kinds of gadgets and started picking the lock. He didn't make any MacGyver jokes, but couldn't help a twitch of his lips despite the tense situation and the faint smell of decay and excrement. It could have been worse. It could have been summer. He had no idea how long the man had been dead, but the freezing temperatures worked in their favor here.

Moments later the door swung open and Daniel quickly lowered his light and raised the gun in his the other hand.

A hallway, four doors – two to the left and two to the right. Three of them were open, but there was no telling what – or who - lurked behind them. Their footsteps were swallowed by a thick carpet as they entered the apartment. Another muffled whine came from somewhere in the dark and Jack pointed at the first open door to their right. "I think it's in there." When another cry erupted from the room, they both heard it clearly and Daniel almost laughed in relief. "It's not a kid. It's a cat."

"You sure? It sounded like a baby or something earlier," Jack said.

"I heard a meow this time," Daniel said. "I'm sure." He sniffed and grimaced. "And there's that smell."

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Definitely cat piss. Pretty ripe." He peered through the doorway. "If it attacks, shoot it. I can't believe I came in here to rescue a damn cat.

They moved into the room and their lights hit a double bed, a nightstand and a closet covering most of the back wall.

"Where is it?" Jack let his light wander across the bed and the carpet in front of it.

"Maybe under the covers. There." Daniel stepped forward and gently pulled at the bedspread.

"Careful," Jack hissed.

Half lidded green glowing eyes were the first they saw of the cat. Scared or pained by the sudden light, the animal hissed and growled deep in its throat as it tried to burrow deeper under the covers. It crawled backwards and then dropped from the bed. With another hiss it hid behind the drawn curtains.

"Whoa! There's your cat," Jack said.

"Take your light away. You're blinding it." Daniel crossed the room and bent over. As he pulled away the curtain, the cat arched its back and growled. But when Daniel reached out a tentative hand and started talking softly, it seemed to relax. "It's okay. I won't harm you, kitty. You must be hungry. Don't be scared. I'm Daniel, by the way."

The cat said, "Meow?" It sounded like a question and a tiny nose started sniffling Daniel's finger. Then a small tongue gave Daniel's finger a testing lick. And then...

"Ow! Hey, I'm not your dinner."

A snorting laugh came from Jack. "I always knew you're tasty. Kitten has style."

"I guess she'd just eat about anything right now. She must be starving."

"Well, depending on how long her owner is dead we probably have to watch our backs if the cat stays in here with us. Or she might bite a chunk outta us," Jack said. "There was this cat. Its owner had died and they only found him weeks or months later. And the cat had nibbled..."

"Maybe we'll find some cat food around here." Daniel interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"You're not going to adopt it, are ya?" Jack grimaced.

"We can't just let it starve here. Look how skinny it is. If the owner has food left we need to feed her. Maybe tomorrow we can let it out and it can tend to itself."

"I'm not going to take it with me," Jack warned.

"I'm not going to ask you to," Daniel said calmly. "We'll just leave out enough food and leave the doors open so it can chose to leave and come back. Once it's strong enough it might hunt its own food and survive."

"Right." Apparently satisfied with this solution, Jack straightened and turned to leave. "Let's take a look at this place and then we should move this guy away from the door downstairs."

The loft was in good shape as far as they could tell in the dark. The furniture was intact and the pantry was stocked up quite nicely. They opened the French doors to a spacious roof deck to let in fresh air.

Once they had made sure there weren't any nasty surprises hidden in the loft, Jack yanked the plastic curtain from the shower rack and together they went to wrap the poor guy into it. "I think I know why no one dared to come in here to plunder," Daniel said as he examined the body more closely. "Here." He pointed at a rifle half buried underneath the man. "He had the means to defend himself and scared burglars off."

"And probably fell down the stairs and broke his neck at one point," Jack mused. There were no wounds or other traces of a fight. Only a nasty bump at the side of his bald head and the unusual angle his neck was twisted. "And no one dared to come back and climb over a dead body."

"Or the Jaffa cleared the area before anyone could return and take his things." Daniel was even more grateful for the cold now. The smell of death was bearable and the body was stiff, but not decayed yet – at least not on the outside. But it was also heavy and stiff. It seemed to take forever until they had the corpse wrapped up. Exhausted and weary, Daniel sat on the stairs and rubbed his thigh. Jack tied the wrapped up body with two wires he had found somewhere in the loft.

"I'll take him down to the basement. Should be cold enough even when it gets warmer up here,"

Daniel grimaced and Jack shrugged. "I guess that's the best we can do for him. I'd bury him, but can't do in this kind of weather. And there's probably no place to dig a hole around here."

"Let's not split up," Daniel replied and heaved himself to his feet. "I'll cover you."

For a moment Jack looked as if he wanted to object, but then he nodded and started to pull at the wrapped corpse. Once they had left the narrow stairwell Jack tossed the dead man over his shoulder and Daniel took lead.

It seemed to take an eternity to walk down the six floors, taking breaks at each flight to listen for intruders or other noises from outside. The basement was like an ice cold sarcophagus. No windows and not even their lights reached into every corner of the long corridor. They lowered the body in the first room they found open. It smelled like old washing powder and damp clothes. Daniel could make out several washers and dryers lined up at the walls.

A laundry room.

He was too drained and in too much pain to feel anything but relief when they left the dead stranger with the dead washers and dryers. Yet, he hoped the man had died quick and never knew what had hit him. If he'd died from a broken neck that had most likely been the case. The thought of this guy being injured, but conscious and lying on that stairwell for hours without any hope of being rescued was too much to bear. And so Daniel forced his vivid imagination away from him as he stumbled up the stairs after Jack.

In Daniel's mind they needed even longer to get back to the loft. The last two flights Jack had to literally haul him up.

It had been a long day and an even longer night.

And it wasn't over yet.

The smell inside the loft was much better now after they had aired it out. There was still an underlying scent of cat piss though and after a bit of searching Jack found a litter box in bad need of cleaning in the bathroom. Apparently the cat had taken offense to its state as well and found other places to relieve herself, but they didn't have the energy to find her new 'toilet' in the middle of the night.

Jack collected anything that would count as a blanket and carried it into the bedroom while Daniel looked for food. The pantry was a small room attached to the kitchen. Shelves full of cans, jars, glasses and boxes brightened his mood despite the fog of pain and exhaustion surrounding him. Some cereal boxes and a bag of sugar were ripped open on the floor, the contents crunching under Daniel's boot and the J-leg. He suspected the cat had tried to find something to eat in here. The contents of the garbage can in the kitchen were scattered all over the floor, too.

After a bit of rummaging around Daniel came up with a box of crackers, a tube cheese that hadn't expired yet and two cans of tuna in oil. On one shelf he discovered several rows of cat food cans.

"Poor thing," he muttered. "So much food right here and yet so out of reach."

When he carried his findings into the kitchen, Jack was searching through the cupboards. He'd already found a can opener and Daniel opened a can for the cat. There were two empty bowls on the floor by the fridge and he dumped the food into one of them.

"I'll try feeding the cat," he told Jack and headed out.

Cat was back on the bed, but when Daniel placed the bowl on the floor, it came down and sniffed it. Suddenly its legs gave in. It flopped down on its belly, then rolled over to lay on its side. It was so skinny, Daniel could see the ribs sticking out. "Come on, you must be hungry, kitty." Daniel dipped a finger into the cold slimy mass of what was supposed to be beef with rice and rubbed it gently against the cat's mouth. And as if cat finally remembered what food smelled like, a small tongue came out and licked the sauce from his fingers. He tried again, and again the cat licked and suckled at his finger. Soon it opened its mouth and he was able to push a bit more of food in. It chewed and swallowed, then meowed for more. "Good. Very good," Daniel crooned. He had no idea if he was doing it right, or if the food would stay down. But it filled him with hope that the cat had the will to live. It was like a small silver lining in a dark, dark night.

The cat tried to scramble to its feet again. Apparently its earlier escape from the bed had drained the last bit of energy from it. But now it crept over to the bowl and finally started to nip from the food. "I hope you won't throw it all up," Daniel murmured as he watched the cat eat. "What are you anyway? A boy or a girl?"

He got no reply. Cat was busy wolfing down beef with rice.

"Dinner's ready." Jack entered, carefully placed the tray on the bed and left again. The flashlight was set next to two plates of crackers with tube cheese spreading and a can of tuna for each of them. When Jack returned he carried a bowl of water for the cat. "She must be dehydrated. And here's the good news. We have running water. Not warm, but clean and apparently the pipes didn't freeze over yet."

But when Daniel tried to offer the water to the cat, it turned away and rather licked the remaining sauce from its mouth. Then it lay down again, buried its nose between its paws and closed its eyes.

Daniel started to undo his boot. He needed to get rid of the leg and clean his stump. He let Jack help with the pants and removal of the leg. He was too tired to object, even as Jack started to tend to his stump with the wipes from Daniel's vest. Never before had he let anyone touch his stump unless it was absolutely necessary – like at the doctors or physiotherapists. But now he just lay back and let Jack gently apply Sho'nac's greasy ointment to the irritated skin.

They didn't talk through most of this, but finally Jack asked, "You want a massage?"

"Maybe later. Food now," Daniel murmured. He made an effort to get back into his pants. Without the leg it was much easier to manage. He wrapped the useless pant leg around his thigh to protect the stump from the cold.

When he was dressed again, he leaned back against the pillows on the bed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Thanks," he said wryly. "I told you, you wouldn't have to take care of me on this mission. Guess I was wrong."

"Would me saying _I told you so_ be punishment enough for your wrongness?" Jack asked smugly, then ducked with a chuckle as Daniel made an attempt to throw a small pillow at him.

"Ass," Daniel said, grinning despite his weariness.

"Such foul language coming from such a beautiful mouth," Jack sighed, then picked up one of the crackers and just as Daniel opened said mouth to snipe back, he found himself chewing tube cheese and saltiness. Daniel swallowed and licked his lips. "Not bad," he commented.

"Yep. Today's special offer. Oily tuna with tube cheese cracker."

"Delicious. My favorite kind of dinner," Daniel snorted and took the fork of tuna out of Jack's hand. "I can eat on my own, thank you very much.".

"Mmmmh, tuna," Jack 'Homered' as he began to eat.

They ate in companionable silence, snuggled into a nest of blankets and pillows. It was still cold and it still smelled slightly like cat. But of all the rooms – with exception of the kitchen – the bedroom seemed to be the cleanest and mostly smell free. Or maybe they were just too tired to really care.

"We should get some shut eye," Jack said after their meager dinner. "You first. I'll wake you in four." With that he started to wriggle and squirm until he had both arms wrapped around Daniel and one leg securely over Daniel's good leg.

"What are you doing?" Daniel asked, not minding the body warmth and the closeness at all. Maybe the weight of Jack's gun on Daniel's chest disturbed the otherwise cozy picture a little. "I thought you were going to take watch?"

"I am."

"You'll fall asleep like that. And take your gun off me. If it's the first thing I see when I wake up, I might accidentally freak and break your neck. If you don't shoot me first," Daniel muttered.

Jack moved the hand with his gun away from Daniel's chest. It was now pressing against Daniel's hip.

"Jack, if you shoot off my balls because you're falling asleep and pull the trigger, you're a dead man. I'm... Jack?" The gun was gone and long strong fingers curled around Daniel's balls through his pants, squeezing tenderly.

Daniel was tired and ached everywhere, but couldn't suppress a pleasant shiver running through his body at the gentle, yet possessive touch. Jack's voice close to his ear was husky and low. "Not gonna shoot off any of these pretty parts. Need you in one piece."

Daniel turned his head and they kissed, slow and deep. Jack's hand, still cupped around his balls, tightened and Daniel let out a muffled moan. Jack was pressing into him from behind, hard. And Daniel arched his back to feel more of it, while he tried to thrust into Jack's massaging fingers at the same time. His now glowing erection felt caged in the close vicinity of his pants and he wanted to free it, and even more he wanted Jack to hold it, or suck it... just... With trembling fingers Daniel fumbled for the buttons of his pants.

Jack's hand stilled. "Daniel?"

"I need..."

"What? Oh! Let me..." Jack let go and batted Daniel's hand away, then swiftly opened the fly. He wore boxers underneath and Jack managed to free Daniel's cock with surprising ease. Daniel held his breath, waiting for Jack to back-paddle, to freak.

He'd heard about guys reeling away from it the first time. Being confronted with the real thing sometimes was different than fantasizing about it. Especially for men who had considered themselves straight most of their adult life.

Jack's fingers touched. Tentatively at first, brushing up and down Daniel's length and he had to keep in a frustrated groan because it felt like teasing and he needed a strong grip, a swift release. He was too tired and at the same time too aroused to take it slow and he didn't want to bother with playing around. But Jack needed the time, needed to take lead and when his fingers finally curled around Daniel's shaft he let out a moan and tried not to come just yet.

He began thrusting slowly into Jack's hand and Jack started to move with him, finally picking up speed and giving Daniel just the right friction. "Yesss," he hissed. Sweat began to trickle down his temples and his guts filled with warmth as his balls tightened and a small trickle of pre-come oozed from the tip of his cock, slicking Jack's busy fingers.

"Don't stop, don't..." Daniel panted.

"Not gonna hap... Christ, Daniel..." Jack moaned, squeezing almost painfully and then yanking hard, making Daniel buck and splatter his semen all over his groin, Jack's hand and the blankets. He let out an incoherent cry as he came, probably calling Jack's name, but he wasn't sure. Lights went off behind his eyes and he was sure he hadn't come this hard in … since the last time he and Jack... and out of nowhere the grief was back.

But it was like a bittersweet ache, drowned in the afterglow of his orgasm.

As he became aware of his surroundings again, Jack's hand was still loosely wrapped around his now softening cock. Gradually his senses kicked back in again and with it the throbbing of his thigh and the coldness of the unfamiliar room. But the warmth inside still lingered enough to make him feel languorously tired and content.

Jack's lips traced the hairline at his temple, he nuzzled his ear and then kissed a spot right under his jawline. "Gotta go now. Take watch. You warmed up nicely?"

"I'd like to return the favor," Daniel murmured, but couldn't move, couldn't even open his eyes. "Thanks. For that. That was..."

"Mind-blowing? Gorgeous?"

Daniel smiled. "A bit smug, are we?"

"My turn tomorrow," Jack promised with a playful bite to his earlobe. "Can't wait. Must have been great by the way you got off."

"Mmmhh." With regret he watched Jack untangle himself and leave the bed. He instantly felt colder again.

###

"I think we're relatively safe for now," Jack said.

He had spent a long time lying on the roof deck observing the neighborhood through his binoculars. "Jaffa are patrolling the big roads, but it doesn't look like they're paying much attention to these blocks. Mostly they seem to make sure people don't stray anywhere they're not supposed to. There's another caravan out there. Not as many as last night though."

"Yeah, about that... where do you think they're taking them? Some kind of Ghetto? Camps?" Daniel absently caressed the cat's shaggy fur. She – he was pretty sure it was a girl - sat on his lap, soaking up the attention like a sponge, purring as if her life depended on it. Whenever his fingers stilled she let out a complaining meow and pushed her head against his hand.

When they had woken up shortly after sunrise, they had found out the cat had eaten the tuna leftover and the rest of her food and then – or in between – had thrown up most of it in little chunks all over the bedroom floor. Or rather Jack had found out when he'd gotten up to use the bathroom and stepped into a puddle of cat puke. He hadn't been amused. But at least the cat was more agile this morning and had wolfed down more food which had stayed down so far.

"No idea," Jack said in answer to his question.

"Maybourne said people were leaving the big cities to find shelter in villages or small towns. Maybe the Jaffa are trying to prevent that from going on," Daniel mused.

"Yeah. It'd be easier to control people," Jack said, his jaw set into a hard line.

Resigned to the fact that there was nothing they could do for any of these people right now, Daniel focused on the task at hand. "We have to find power. A radio would probably do. Maybe the spare set of batteries we brought for the flashlights and our radios will work for that. We have to find this Kapour guy. If we can figure out the frequencies he's sending his propaganda messages on we might get a clue where he is." Daniel pulled his radio from his vest pocket and glared at it. They had tried to just call Sam and Cam, hoping that by any chance they were in radio range and able to reply. But no such luck. After all they weren't in a sci-fi movie. "A ham radio would come in handy. They have a much wider range and with the right equipment we might be able to find them."

"Maybourne with all his fancy techie stuff couldn't nail them. If we get lucky we can listen to their messages and that's about it," Jack said.

"But people must be able to find them somehow. What sense would it make for Kapour to send out propaganda messages to gather followers if no one knows how to reach him?"

"Beats me."

"Maybourne said they can pinpoint their locations while they're sending messages, but then they keep losing them and the signal shows up elsewhere," Daniel thought out loud.

"He's playing with them," Jack said. "Laying out false tracks."

"But how? Over satellite?"

"Where's your Colonel Carter when you need her?" Jack scratched his unshaven jaw. "All I know is that it's possible to avoid RF tracking if you have the technology and know how to use it."

"Yeah. So what do we do?"

"Can't hurt to listen to one of Kapour's messages when he's on air. Let's search this place for anything useful. I found a smart phone this morning and an iPod. All out of power," With a look down his nose at the cat he added. "I also found the cat's new litterbox. There's a guest room down the hall. She used the bed. It's full of crap. So don't go in there unless you're wearing a hazmat suit."

Daniel snorted. "Thanks for the warning, I won't."

Jack sat down at the table and peered into the open Fruit Loop box. "Nice."

"How can you eat this stuff? It's awful enough with milk, but dry?"

Shaking a good amount of the little colorful donut shaped pieces into a cereal bowl, Jack shrugged. "I like it."

Daniel picked up the chocolate chip cookie box and fished out another cookie. Cat stood, arched her back and kneaded his thighs with her claws. Just when it started to really hurt, she stopped and dropped back down to curl up and sleep. Daniel ate his cookie while Jack crunched on his dry Fruit Loops.

He'd give anything for a bit of warmth. Or at least a hot cup of coffee. Or clean pants. Their little sharing of body warmth and fluids last night had left him with sticky and stained pants. He had wanted to wash at least his boxers with the cold water from the bathroom tap, but it would be nearly impossible to get them dry again without a dryer or at least a heater. To say it was chilly in the loft was the understatement of the year. It seemed the temps had dropped again last night and the building had probably been out of heat for weeks or months so there was very little residual warmth left in the rooms. He longed for a shower. It'd be nice to shower with Jack, too. Under a hot beam of water and with lots of soap involved...

"Daniel? Hey!" Jack snipped his fingers in front of Daniel's face. "Anybody home?"

"What? Oh, sorry. I was thinking of... showers."

"Ah, yes! I hear you. But we gotta get to work."

"Right. Work." He stretched and gently pushed at the cat to leave his lap. Cat opened one eye and let out a sound that could have been a purr or a growl, Daniel wasn't sure. Then she jumped to the floor and left the room, probably to go back to bed and continue her nap.

They started searching the loft for a battery powered transistor radio or anything else they could make work to find Kapour's channels. Daniel found a vast CD collection, mostly Jazz and Soul and Jack spent some time marveling at an equally huge amount of DVDs. They discovered the former owner of the loft had been a smoker and Jack played with the box of Pall Mall, saying he hadn't felt the urge for a cigarette in fifteen years, but now he was really tempted. They started piling up other things in the kitchen they thought might be useful. Candles and matches, a stash of cash they found hidden in a cupboard of the guy's desk. Jack pulled out a couple of warm fleece hooders from the wardrobe and they put them on under their BDU jackets and coats, grateful for the additional warmth they gave even though the sleeves and hems were a bit short.

For a moment it crossed Daniel's mind to change his pants and underwear, but the thought of wearing another guy's briefs somehow didn't appeal to him. He tried the pants and it turned out they weren't lose enough for his stump, which was a bit swollen. His BDU pants simply fit better.

"How's your leg?" Jack asked as he watched Daniel struggle with pants.

"It'll do," Daniel said. "Not having to wear the prosthesis last night was good."

"We could stay another couple of hours so you can take it off again. Might be better to move at night anyway," Jack suggested.

"First we have to know where to move to though." Daniel absently massaged his thigh as he sat on the bed.

"Couldn't find a radio around here," Jack said wearily. "But there's a backpack. Wherever we'll go we should take the candles and matches and the money. And some food." He rummaged through a drawer. "Some extra pairs of gloves would be nice."

"We have gloves." Daniel examined the stump of his thigh and didn't pay much attention to Jack's mutterings. "We knew it'd be winter here when we left the Alpha Site." He looked up to find Jack searching through... underwear?

"Yeah, I know. But an extra pair can't hurt. It's not like we can go into the next mall and buy new clothes. God knows for how long we have to hang out and search for Carter and Mitchell. And even if we find them, we have to... " Jack held up a pair of Sponge Bob boxers and raised his eyebrows, "... stick around and figure out how to stop this Qetesh bitch."

Daniel stared at the offending boxer shorts without really seeing them. A thought formed in the back of his mind. Something about what Jack just said... "The mall," he said slowly. "There was a mall yesterday. On our way through downtown."

"And? So? Therefore? It was closed." Jack stuffed the shorts back into the drawer.

"It was. But what about the stuff that's still in the shops? Do you think the Jaffa allowed people to empty their stores? And even if the stores are empty or plundered – what about the storage rooms in the basements? I doubt the Jaffa took their time to empty everything out yet. And there's no power to set off alarm systems."

Jack pushed the drawer shut with a resounding smack. "Daniel?"

"Jack?"

"You up for a little robbery?"

###

"Toothpaste," Jack said. "And toothbrushes. All I got is dental gum."

"There's toothpaste at the loft." Daniel replied.

"If we go shopping we can get our own toothpaste."

"Whatever."

"Stand back." Jack raised the baseball bat they had found at the loft and swung it with enough force to make the store window crack. They paused and listened for voices or footsteps. But all stayed quiet. The stream of people on the main roads had started to dwindle down around noon and with them the Jaffa guards had left the area. By dusk downtown seemed as dead as their new neighborhood.

Jack swung the bat again and this time the cracking sound was followed by bursting glass falling to the ground, littering the floor and the few display mannequins left in the window. "Go," Jack whispered into the following silence and Daniel maneuvered himself into the window.

Once they had merged with the darkness inside the store, they paused again. But no one came in from the streets. It seemed their little break in had gone by unnoticed.

They had hoped someone else might have already found a way inside the mall to plunder the shops. It would have limited their chances to find anything useful, but it would have helped in avoiding to make too much noise by breaking in. But aside from the broken Starbucks sign the building didn't show any signs of burglary. No broken windows, no damaged doors, Apparently someone had made sure no one would plunder here as long as there had still been people living or passing the area. Daniel wondered if there was a reason for that or if the Jaffa were just cautious to make sure nobody took something with them they could use to defend themselves.

"Light," Jack ordered curtly as soon as they were far enough from the window.

Daniel turned on his flashlight and they made their way through the store. It was some clothes label for teens. They pushed clothes racks out of the way, still equipped with the latest fashion. Hooders, shirts, tees... Most likely no one would ever come in here again to spend their money for them.

"Where's that damn entrance," Jack muttered under his breath.

"Over there. Holy buckets!" Daniel rounded a corner and almost jerked up his hand holding the gun to shoot at his reflection in a large mirror.

"Easy," Jack said and Daniel could hear the smirk in his friend's voice. "You're not THAT ugly."

"Last night you called me beautiful," Daniel sighed. "Where'd the romance go?"

"You liked me saying you're beautiful?" Jack asked with honest curiosity in his voice.

"I... uh... yeah. Sort of. Well, not that it's true. Because I'm not. Beautiful. But it was kind of endearing, yes. Why? You taking it back?"

"No. And I'm going to say it a lot more often if we get the chance. Better get used to it. And start believing it."

Daniel snorted and then they found the shop's exit. To their surprise it wasn't closed. One moment they walked through the clothes store and the next they stood in the wide atrium of the mall.

"Well, that was easy," Jack said with suspicion. He gripped the baseball bat more tightly and Daniel unlocked his Beretta.

The stillness around them was unnerving. The escalators were looming towers in the diffuse crepuscular light falling through the glazed roof four stories up. In an hour from now it would be completely dark. Daniel turned off his flashlight to save batteries as they moved through the large atrium. They passed water basins, formerly entertaining the costumers with fountains. There were large pots with green plants, now dead or dying from the cold and the lack of water and artificial light. Most of the shops had been left open, their entrances like doorways into the darkness. Without the hustle and bustle of shopping people, the music from the speakers and the smells of food from the restaurants on the second floor, the mall was dead and the perfect example for how fragile the known world of civilization and consumption was.

They found a Radio Shack on the ground level next to the deserted Starbucks.

"Sweet," Jack mumbled as they entered. Daniel turned his light back on and they went from aisle to aisle to work through their shopping list.

###

They ended up on the fourth floor with everything they had acquired from various stores. It would have been too much of a hassle to haul all the things back to the loft, so now they sat on comfortable benches at what used to be a resting area for customers. Above them the stars of a cloudless night sky peered through the glazed roof. It was cold, but they were wrapped into thick warm blankets they had gotten from another store.

Daniel tried to set up the router and the laptop. Several spare batteries were lying next to him. They had taken a display model, hoping it had all the basics already installed. A wireless card for example. To stay on the safe side Daniel had also taken a wireless USB adapter. He only knew so much about the techie part of the internet and couldn't exactly tell if they had any chance of establishing some kind of net connection at all.

Next to him Jack was working on a battery powered ham radio, trying to find a channel where someone was sending messages. Their own radios hadn't turned out useful so far, so this was the next best thing.

If Sam was here... But she wasn't. And so they had to rig this up and make it work somehow.

"Well," Daniel said after a moment of searching and experimenting. "It seems we got lucky. Now we have to find a wireless network somewhere." He let the laptop do a search of the area.

There was a lot of static noise and whistles coming from Jack's ham radio. "I get nothing," the older man muttered.

"Keep searching."

"Maybe they don't send anything at nights. Maybe they have certain air times. To keep the risk of being found at minimum." Jack stretched his back and cracked a yawn. Then he reached out and pulled a Payday bar from the pile of candy and Power Bars between them. "Eat something. Keep up your energy level."

"I found something," Daniel said, ignoring the Payday bar Jack waved at him. "The signal is weak, but I'll try to connect anyway." A moment – which felt like an eternity to him – passed and then the laptop connected. "Okay... trying to open... Firefox."

Jack put down his radio and together they stared at the screen where a window opened, giving them only a blank screen... and then another smaller window popped up with a row of words and a box to type in.

_Location/state/city._

Daniel typed in: _Colorado_ and _Denver_, then clicked _Enter_.

They waited.

They waited for so long that Daniel was sure the connection had failed

"Something's happening," Jack blurted out, pointing at the screen where a graphic started to load. "It's just slow."

"It's a map," Daniel said.

"Nice," Jack drawled. "That's Denver. There... zoom in on Downtown."

"Okay, okay. We're 16th street, pedestrian mall. That's..." They had to wait again for the map to re-load. "Here. Or somewhere around here anyway."

"And we're looking for... these thingies?" Jack's long finger traced a small orange beacon on the map. "Kapour's underground bases?"

They studied the map for a moment longer. "This one is closest to us. West 27th Ave. It's across the rivers."

"Probably first contact addresses."

Without warning the map closed and the connection was severed.

"It's worth a shot. Let's take a hike then." Jack decided.

They packed their new and larger backpacks – courtesy of a sportswear shop at the second floor – with everything they had bought... borrowed... okay, stolen. Daniel knew they had little choice, but walking through a closed shopping mall and taking everything they needed without paying for it still felt... awkward.

Yet, his new thick winter parka and the black jeans he traded his dirty BDU pants for were comfortable to wear. Jack wore the same jacket and their tac vests still fit underneath over the new gray sweatshirts they had acquired.

Daniel stuffed the candy and power bars and some other items into the small side pocket of his pack. Jack had taken the radio and two of the extra batteries into his. Finally they shoved two bottles of Volvic Spring into the bottle holders and were good to go.

"We should go back to the loft and take the money," Daniel said as they descended the dark stairs to the ground floor. They hadn't taken anything with them except their weapons and the baseball bat because they had expected to stay another night at the loft after raiding the mall.

By the time they were back on the streets, clouds were hiding the moon and stars. This worked to their favor as they stayed in the shadows of the buildings and hiked back to the apartment complex.

"Ah, the lift is still broken," Daniel snorted softly when they entered.

"Yeah. Bad service around here. Someone should call someone." Jack let his backpack slide from his shoulders and placed it against the wall next to the door. "I'll go up and get everything. You wait here."

As much as Daniel hated them to split up; after climbing up and down four floors at the mall he was grateful for not having to do the six floors now. He opened his mouth to tell Jack to be careful and then snapped it shut again and just nodded.

"I'll feed the cat," Jack said before he vanished into the hallway.


	6. Help from the Gods

**THE ROAD TO FOLLOW**

**VI**

**HELP FROM THE GODS**

Downtown Denver wasn't as deserted as it seemed to be. But the few people they met on their way down the 15th Street ran away from them and hid in the alleys. Two guys were bold or desperate enough to jump out from behind a dumpster, armed with hockey sticks. But one look at Daniel's Beretta and the rifle Jack had taken from the loft owner, had them running fast. Daniel stared after them and shook his head. "You know, I could have tried talking to them. Maybe they know what happened to all the people who'd lived in this area. Or worked here."

"And get your head cracked open in the process? I don't think so."

"Believe it or not, off world diplomacy sometimes means negotiations with a gun in your hand. If they hadn't run that fast, I would've tried." Grimly he walked on, silently cursing his lost leg. He could have followed them and make them listen if he still... But all the could have's, would have's in the world wouldn't fix his leg, so this train of thought was pointless.

The J-leg enabled him to be much more mobile than the old prosthesis allowed him to be. But they were still too slow. His stump was swollen so the leg was uncomfortable. And the layer of frost covering the ground made it difficult to keep a fast pace of walking.

Daniel just gritted his teeth and kept moving.

The dangerous part of their journey occurred as they left the semi protected area of skyscrapers and office buildings to cross South Platte River. Instead of taking the highway bridge they chose the smaller bridge going straight from 15th Street. But it was open territory and if the clouds would move and the moon broke through, they could be spotted all too easily.

They made it to the other side unseen. But as soon as they turned from Platte Street into Water Street, the familiar sounds of marching boots had them take cover in the dark entrance of a building. A group of Jaffa was patrolling along the river. They could make out five figures with staff weapons passing the building.

Jack and Daniel waited for them to cross the bridge, but instead the patrol turned left and vanished into the night.

Silently they continued on their way down Water Street, weary and tensed. Every noise had them on alert. The wind whipping through the bare-branched trees down at the river seemed too loud. At one point Jack grabbed Daniel's arm hard, almost causing him to stumble. "Careful," Daniel hissed under his breath.

"Quiet," Jack snapped.

They stood frozen for a couple of moments until Jack's fingers loosened their grip on his arm. "Thought I heard something."

"The wind."

"No. Wasn't the friggin' wind. Keep moving."

Soon they left the river behind and found themselves hiking along blocks of apartment buildings not unlike the ones they had stayed in the other night. Though this side of the river they seemed more spacious.

But just as deserted.

The further they got away from the river, the smaller the buildings became. Finally they stood in a neighborhood of stereotype family homes with backyards and garages.

All the houses were dark. Cars were parked in some of the driveways, but there was no sign of someone being home. Some of the houses had been vandalized. Broken windows and damaged fences. There had been a fire in one of the houses; the porch was only a black skeleton of charred wood, the front door gone.

"Where are all these people?" Daniel groused.

"Dead. Or gone."

"It was an, uh, rhetorical question." He licked his lips. They were chapped from the cold. Rubbing his temples with his gloved hand he thought he hadn't been this exhausted in a very long time.

"But someone's still around. If that map wasn't a dead end," Jack said. "Here's our beacon. Somewhere." Suddenly he spun around, unlocking the rifle and aiming it at the bushes in one of the front yards.

"You're scaring the squirrels," Daniel said dryly as something whisked away under a porch. He hadn't seen more than a black shadow, but it didn't look big enough to be a threat. "Unless the Jaffa drilled squirrels into spying on us," he added.

"At least one of us is keeping his eyes open," Jack growled. "So what now? How do we find our mysterious ally? IF it turns out to be an ally."

They continued down the street and Daniel spared a thought about missing Christmas decorations. A neighborhood such as this should have colorful lights in the windows and jolly Santa Claus dolls on the roofs or hanging at the walls. Decorated trees should be seen through brightly lit living room windows.

Personally Daniel had always liked his Christmases quiet and without all the hullabaloo of gaudy decorations and lights. Yet, bright and colorful Christmas lights belonged to America culture like Thanksgiving turkey, the fireworks on July 4th or the Superbowl. This darkness was wrong on so many levels.

West 27th Avenue seemed to be endless.

Daniel wondered if...

"Freeze!" The harsh voice came from the porch of one of the houses to their left. "You're surrounded, so don't try anything stupid."

"Found them," Daniel said.

###

"Is that coffee?" Daniel stared at the steaming mug which was placed in front of him. He picked it up and took a sniff. "It is." He let the aromatic smell caress his nostrils before he took a careful sip. "Hot," he sighed. "That's great."

"You looked like you could use one," Mariah, a petite woman with raven black hair tied into a lose knot at the back of her head, smiled thinly. "We have power. But we only use it at certain hours. We'll be out of fuel too soon otherwise. So coffee is a luxury for us, too. Mainly we use our power to keep the network going. We can't work on batteries alone."

"Where do you get the fuel from?

"It gets delivered," she said curtly. "You don't need to know more." Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. "What's your story?"

"Ahh, it's a long one. We're looking for a couple of friends who went missing several weeks ago."

"These friends... they're probably either dead or in one of the camps," Mariah said, not without sympathy.

"Actually we're kind of sure they ended up in your... in Kapour's group."

"Why? Did you hear from them?"

"No, but someone else pointed it out to us."

"Who?" The suspicion was back in her voice.

"Another friend." Daniel took another sip from his coffee. It wasn't much warmer in the kitchen they were in than it had been at the loft, but the hot beverage made up for the lack of heat.

Mariah held up a small silver chain. It was dangling from her finger tips as she looked at it. The two plates reflected the light of the candles on the wooden table. "We need to make sure you're on the right side before we can give you any information."

"I know."

"You're military," she said.

"Used to be," Daniel corrected her, making it up as he went. "I told you, we aren't a threat to you. All we want is to find our friends."

"So you're what? Deserters?"

"Let's just say we're not on the government's Christmas list. Officially we're probably dead."

"Yet, your stubborn friend is still wearing these. And for guys who quit the military you're armed pretty good."

Daniel nodded at the dog tags hanging from Mariah's fingertips. "Old habits. And it's not hard to get weapons. If you know how to avoid Jaffa troops."

The smile she gave him was deadly and cold. "I don't believe you."

"Yet, you're serving me coffee," he replied with a grin.

"What about your friend? He knocked out two of my men. You don't treat an ally like that if you want to live," she asked, ignoring what he said.

"You had staffs pointed at us. Didn't exactly look like you're our allies," Daniel countered.

"We have to take what we can get, weapon wise," she replied.

There was a knock at the door and a guy poked his head in. "He's coming around."

Mariah rose and nodded. "I'll be right there." With a sidewards glance at Daniel she asked, "Do you want to see your friend?"

"Sure."

"Follow me."

Jack was lying on an unmade bed in what appeared to be a guest room. Groaning he scrubbed his hands across his face. An armed young man stood next to the door, stepping aside when Mariah and Daniel entered. The man nodded at Daniel. "You Daniel?"

"Yes."

"He kept saying your name when he woke up."

Jack turned his head and blinked from owlish eyes. His brow sported an impressive bump. He sat up and cursed. "Fuck. Oh, hey, Daniel. You okay?"

"Oh, yes. Since I didn't, you know, attack anyone, I'm fine. They took my weapon though. But they have coffee," Daniel said airily as he limped over to Jack's bed and settled on it.

"They were holding staffs at our heads," Jack snarled and his eyes pierced Mariah, who had stopped at the door, arms folded over her chest. "Who's in charge around here?"

"I am."

"Sweet. We need to talk to Kapour. ASAP." Jack sure wasn't in a good mood. Daniel assumed a major headache combined with the famous O'Neill temper.

"You're in no position to make demands here," she said acidly.

"I'm not demanding anything, yet," Jack said in the same tone. "This is me asking nicely."

"You are one SOB..."

"Okay, okay... time out!" Daniel rose from the bed without much of a struggle. He stepped into the middle of the room and held up both hands. "This is going nowhere. The situation is simple. We looked for you, we found you. And we assume you're part of Kapour's underground group." He pointed at Mariah. "You, on the other hand, have no reason to trust us. So you won't let us go again. Is that right?"

Mariah bit her lip, but nodded.

"So the question is; what are you going to do with us. Kill us? Or take us to whoever is next in line of your command structure if there is any. We'll promise...," he gave Jack a hard glare, "to cooperate and not to hurt anymore of your people."

"Hey!" Jack surged to his feet. "I didn't..."

"Jack!" Daniel needed just a little more time to diffuse the situation.

"What?!"

"Just... sit."

Jack gave him a dirty look, but backed off by turning away from them. He crossed the room and leaned against the back wall, mirroring Mariah's unyielding pose.

"So," Daniel said to Mariah. "We need information. If you don't believe us, fine. As long as you take us to someone we can talk to. If it turns out we're spies they can shoot us later."

"You can't stay here," she reluctantly agreed after a moment of tensed silence. "We all have to leave this area. We've been here for too long already. The military is still trying to track us." She turned to the guard. "Call CM. Let them know we're on our way."

"The prisoners?"

"We'll take them with us." To Daniel she said, "Get ready for transfer. We'll leave in an hour." With that they walked out, locking the door behind them.

"That went well," Daniel said into the gloomy silence.

"Ya THINK?" Jack pushed off the wall and let himself fall back on the bed, one hand probing the bump on his head. "Crap."

"The butt end of a staff weapon is pretty effective on iron skulls," Daniel offered.

"Fuck off," Jack suggested bitingly.

"You tried to break that guy's neck! You can hardly blame him for defending himself."

"I was _not_ going to break his neck. There was no reason for you to HELP them knocking me out."

"I didn't help them."

"You did."

"No, I didn't. I just told you to stop."

"Yes, you did."

"Didn't."

Jack let out a huff of air. "Daniel, you practically ordered me to surrender."

"Which you ignored."

"And then you walked right up to them, handing them your weapon, leaving me to deal with that jerk who tried to blow my head off."

"He didn't blow your head off, Jack." Sometimes Daniel thought dealing with a tantrum throwing three year old would be easier than dealing with a pissed off Jack O'Neill.

"They had staffs! It could have been a trap. It could still _be_ a trap!"

"No, it's not," Daniel said, shaking his head.

"Oh, and you know that... how?"

"Years of field experience? Intuition?" Daniel shrugged and slumped on the bed next to Jack. "They're not Qetesh's people. Just... trust me, okay?"

"Whatever," Jack snapped.

The following minutes passed in deadly silence. Daniel stared at the blank ceiling while Jack was lying on the bed, his eyes closed. The bump on his head had grown into an impressive egg sized thing. It probably hurt like hell.

"They outnumbered us," Daniel said after a while. Even if Jack would have knocked out the two guys with the staffs, there had been at least four more hiding in the shadows of the driveway. Sure, they could have taken those guys hostage to have an advantage and leverage so they didn't end up being prisoners. But someone could have shot them out of nowhere if they'd tried. The brutal way just wasn't always the right one. And Jack must know that. He might not have had ten years of gate travel under his belt, but he'd been in enough crisis situations on Earth to realize there was little else they could have done.

"Should've seen them coming," Jack said instead of a reply.

"What?"

"Those guys. Should have seen them coming. Or at least hear them."

"I didn't see nor hear them either," Daniel said with a frown.

"I used to do covert ops in Iraq." Jack opened his eyes and scowled at him. "They caught me off guard. Shouldn't have happened."

"Well, it's been a while since you were in Iraq," Daniel said carefully.

"I'm trained to deal with situations like that. Hell, I'm trained to know what's going to happen _before_ it happens. I almost shot a squirrel. But these guys I didn't hear."

"I worked with SG-1 for ten years," Daniel said quietly. "There's no such thing as 100 % preparation. You know that. Stop beating yourself up over it. We both ran into this ambush blind."

"I'm getting too old for this shit," Jack muttered. "I'm going to retire."

"On Cal Mah?" Daniel reached out and gently brushed a finger over the hard outlines of Jack's face.

"Why not? You coming along?" Jack caught his hand and squeezed it for a brief moment.

They looked at each other in the dim lit room. The question reflected in Jack's eyes, too.

"Yes." It was a promise, a commitment. A vow.

After all they'd already built themselves a home there.

###-

Daniel was only mildly surprised when they were ushered out to the backyard to wait for their transportation.

"Rings?" Jack asked in a low voice.

"I think so." Daniel whispered back.

"But it's not a trap."

"No."

"If you're wrong, you're fired."

Daniel snorted.

"Stop talking," Mariah snapped, raising her staff at Jack. But a sudden noise in the bushes made her spin around. One of her men pointed a flashlight in the direction. Out of an evergreen bush two green glowing eyes glared at them.

"What the...?" one of Mariah's men called out. "Is that a cat?"

An indignant "Meow" answered the question as the cat gracefully crossed the lawn and started rubbing her head against Daniel's legs.

"Ah, actually," Daniel said and cleared his throat, "that's, um, my cat."

"Our cat," Jack corrected.

"She was at a place we stayed for a night and she kind of..." Daniel shrugged.

"She likes him. A lot." Jack added.

"We can't take it with us." Mariah's man raised his staff. As if she realized she was threatened, cat hugged Daniel's leg with her paws and started clawing herself upwards. With a curse of pain, Daniel grabbed her by the neck and plucked her off, grateful he was wearing jeans now. He settled her in his arms.

Mariah shook her head and stepped forward to brush a hand over cat's head. "I used to have one just like this," she said softly. Then she stepped back and nodded. "Take her if you want. But this goes only for the transfer. I have no say in what'll happen to her once we arrive. Or you." She took a look at her watch. "It's time."

They moved together into a circle and a moment later the rings came down to whisk them away.

###

As soon as they had ringed to the ship – a Tel'tak just like Teal'c's – Mariah had them blindfolded and their hands tied behind their backs. She had taken the cat from Daniel and promised to take care of her. Then she ordered two of her men to guard the prisoners. "Don't get comfortable, it's a short ride," she said as she left.

"Jack? You okay?"

"Peachy," came the gruff reply from his left.

They waited in silence for Mariah's return and they didn't have to wait long. Daniel was sure not more than ten minutes had passed before she returned and they were led back to the rings. "I have your cat," she said. "You'll stay blindfolded until you're in a holding cell. We won't take any chances by letting you know where you are."

They ringed off the ship. Mariah greeted and talked to someone briefly, then they were led through corridors and into an elevator which took them down. Another corridor, another elevator down, a new corridor, two right turns and then they finally stopped. The jingling of keys and the sound of a door being opened.

Someone must have tried to push Jack into the room because next to him Daniel heard a harsh intake of breath and Jack's low, but deadly voice. "Hands. Off."

"Get inside," Mariah ordered. There was a tug at his arms as a knife cut the binds around his wrists once he had stepped into the room. "Someone will be with you soon."

The door was slammed shut behind him, the sound loudly echoing from the cell walls. He ripped the cloth from his eyes and watched Jack doing the same. Cat sat in front of Daniel, gazing up at him. "Meow."

"Hi," he replied, sitting down on one of the two chairs.

There was a table, too. He rubbed his palm over her head and she started purring. He still didn't exactly know what color she was. Her coat seemed to have all shades of brown, from light to dark in swirling patterns. The area around her nose was white and she wore a white bib. Her coat wasn't long, but neither was it as short as an ordinary cat's coat would be. So he suspected she was a more distinguished breed. "You have a name?"

"Call her kitty and be done with it," Jack said, shaking his head.

"Don't you think it's amazing she followed us all the way from downtown?" Daniel tickled cat's chin and she closed her eyes and purred in bliss.

"She's smitten with you. I got that much."

"She must be hungry," Daniel assumed when cat started to nibble on his finger again.

"Where do you think we are?" They looked around their cell and suddenly Daniel was hit by the familiarity of it. He rose to his feet and stepped to the door. A small square-ish window allowed him to see a bleak corridor. There was nothing special to it, gray walls, artificial lights... but to Daniel it was home. Used to be home.

In another lifetime.

"This is the Mountain," he said in amazement.

"What?"

"We're at Cheyenne Mountain. I recognize this cell. And the corridor." He tried to remember a little detail he had noticed before. "When Mariah told her men to contact CM... that's what it meant. I thought it was a name, but it's Cheyenne Mountain. The SGC used to be here. Well, our... my SGC. In my time line."

"Swell," Jack said dryly. "NORAD has been closed down a couple years ago. They used it as a training base for a while and for Santa tracking. But last year they moved everything to Nevada. As far as I know only a skeleton crew worked here for maintenance and guarding the place."

"And now it's been taken by the rebeles."

"Or by Qetesh." But the remark had lost its bite. Jack sat on the floor and tried to engage cat into playing by wriggling his foot until she pounced it. Soon she tried to pull the shoelace from his left boot. "Smart kitty," he praised her.

Daniel wanted to join him, but it was easier to just settle back on one of the chairs. Usually he was very agile even with the artificial leg donned, but his stump needed tending to and they had taken his tac vest and backpack away so he didn't have his wipes or ointment. To say it hurt was the understatement of the year.

"How's your leg?"

"Been worse," he said curtly.

"That bad?"

"I'll live."

"They better have a doctor around here," Jack growled.

"I know how to treat it. I just need my stuff." Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can we please not talk about my leg?"

Jack picked up cat and settled her in his lap, absently stroking her coat. "Fine. Wanna talk about fishing?"

"Do you think Charlie is still alive?" Daniel asked instead. "Maybe we could try to find him." He knew he was walking on thin ice here, but the question had been on his mind for a while now.

"Find him how?" Jack's long fingers stilled on cat's back.

"I don't know. Once this is all over... "

"IF it'll ever be over, you mean."

"We could try looking for him. You do have his last known address, don't you?"

Jack stared at the wall next to Daniel, avoiding his eyes. "Yeah."

"We could start from there."

"Can we please not talk about Charlie?" Jack asked, his voice clipped.

Daniel pushed his glasses back into place and made an about face. "So... are there fish in your pond in Minnesota?"

The door to their cell was opened and Jack was on his feet the moment they heard the key turn in the lock.

Daniel hadn't been this happy to see someone in a very long time.

"They told me your names, but I couldn't believe it until I saw you," Sam exclaimed as she rushed over to him and they hugged. "Daniel! Are you okay? How did you get here? It seems we always lose and find each other again lately!"

"It's a long story." He smiled and held her close for a moment. He had denied himself to even consider the possibility of her and Mitchell's death. But he was neither stupid nor as arrogant as not to worry. "How are you? Is Cam here?"

"Yes, we're all right." She stepped away and took a look at him. "You must be tired. And probably hungry. We need to debrief you, but I think you need some rest first."

"We both do, actually," Jack said from behind her. "I know I'm nothing more than chopped liver around here. But the cat needs something to eat, too. And probably a litter-box."

Sam turned and Daniel could hear a sliver of warmth and respect in her voice. "General! It's good to see you, too,... sir." Then she crouched to take a look at cat. "Mariah told me you brought a pet. Oh my god, she's so cute. Where'd you find her?"

"It's a long story," Jack said.

"What's her name?"

"Cat," Jack and Daniel replied as one.

"Cat? That's her name?" Sam brushed a finger over her head.

"There wasn't really much time to think of a name," Daniel said with a shrug.

Cat tipped her nose against Sam's finger, but suddenly grew shy and sought refuge behind Jack's legs. Sam shook her head. "I have no idea where to get a litter-box around here. Or cat food. But we'll think of something."

###

"VIP quarters." Daniel grinned. "Who would have thought we end up in these."

He stretched out on the bed. A bed that didn't smell like cat. A bed that was in a clean room. A WARM clean room. With dark blue bed sheets and fluffy pillows. A lamp on the nightstand that actually worked. He wriggled the toes of his good foot. Of his still attached foot. He wanted a shower. A shave. Something to eat. And sleep. In that order. Smiling he watched the cat who was sitting at the foot of the bed. She was very busy cleaning herself. She had taken a tour through the room to get familiar with everything. She had even accepted the box with sand someone had brought in earlier. There was no cat food available on base, but the guy who had brought the box also dropped off bowls for water and a can of tuna. They'd have to improvise. For now cat was happy and content.

Daniel had undressed to his underwear and was waiting for Jack to get out of the shower. A real shower. With hot water and liquid soap and shampoo. Jack had wanted him to shower first, but Daniel had waved him away, saying he needed longer to undress anyway and Jack didn't need too much coaxing to jump the shower first.

Daniel remembered his thoughts about showering with Jack. But a glance at the security cam at the ceiling in a corner had him ditch that plan. That, and the fact that his stump bitched at him for not keeping it clean enough and for abusing it the way he had over the last couple of days. He glanced down at it, wincing at how raw and swollen it was. He grabbed for the backpack sitting on the floor next to the bed. One handed he opened a side pocket and pulled out his iodine wipes. Gritting his teeth in anticipation of the pain he began to carefully tend to the sore skin. It would feel better after the shower. It was sore, but the skin wasn't badly broken yet. Shol'nac's ointment would take care of the worst over the next couple of days.

Provided they'd be given a couple of days to recharge. He needed to know what was going on. Who was Kapour and how had Cam and Sam ended up working for him? How did their secret network function and what kind of technology did they have to keep the military off their butts?

"You should see the doc." Jack's voice pulled him out of his train of thoughts.

He looked up and his negative response died on his lips as he was faced with a mostly naked USAF general, only dressed in a white towel slung low around his hips. Droplets of water still glistened on Jack's shoulders and his graying chest hair was damp, as was his head. He had shaved, too, and there was a small cut at his jaw., but not bleeding anymore The bump on his brow had taken on a blue-ish hue.

_I want you_, Daniel thought. _Now._

"I'm fine," was what he finally said.

Jack shook his head, but apparently decided to let it go for now. "Shower's all yours," he said. Then a sly grin slowly blossomed on his face. "You need help showering? What with the leg and all?"

"That depends," Daniel replied dryly. "Is there a security cam in the bathroom?"

Jack rolled his eyes in mock despair. "There is."

"Then no."

They exchanged a longing, but knowing glance. This wasn't a military facility anymore and technically there shouldn't be any issue about DADT. But they both were aware that giving away their relationship would make them vulnerable on too many levels. Allies or not, they needed to be careful until they could be sure these people were trustworthy on all levels. That Cam and Sam were here indicated they were safe. But they still didn't catch a moment to have a proper briefing and private chat.

"I'm gonna die horny," Jack said with a moan as he flopped on the bed next to Daniel.

"You won't," Daniel said without much sympathy. "And if you do, so will I."

"You already got yours back at that loft," Jack reminded him snidely.

"Oh, that all you have to offer then?" Daniel waggled his eyebrows and gave Jack a long look. "I must say I expected a lot more to come."

"Soon," Jack leered, his voice so husky, it gave Daniel the most delicious goose bumps.

"Why did we waste so much time on Cal Mah?" Daniel grumbled. "We could have had it all weeks ago."

Jack turned to him, propping on one elbow. The slyness suddenly gone from his voice and face, he very quietly said. "We weren't ready."

"No," Daniel agreed equally as quiet. "But we are now. Right?"

"Oh yeah." The grin crept back into the general's face. "More than ready."

"I'd rather have separate quarters," Daniel moaned. "At least I didn't have to stare at you all the time then."

Apparently guest quarters were rare and Sam had apologized several times for sticking them into one VIP room together. How ironic. It was what they wanted the most. And yet, it still meant they had to keep their hands off each other.

"Sucks," Jack agreed whole hearted.

"Big time." Daniel sat up and got rid of his underwear. Then he struggled to his foot and Jack was with him to help him reach the bathroom and step into the shower stall. Someone had brought a small chair they had put into the shower so that Daniel could sit while he washed himself. It was a comfort he was very grateful for. He just hoped it wouldn't slip away under him. Jack waited patiently until Daniel was seated and the shower was running. The space was very limited and he bumped his elbows on the tiles every time he reached for the liquid soap. But at least the chair stayed put on the mat in the shower.

"Seriously, you okay in here?" Jack eyed him suspiciously.

"I've done this before, you know?" Daniel had to laugh at Jack's grimace. "I'll be fine." Well, he used to have had hand rails and a shower chair in his quarter at the new SGC and on Cal Mah they never showered; they always bathed in the lake. But the chair would work for now.

"Call me when you're done. You don't have a cane here," Jack warned.

"Yes, mom," Daniel muttered and pulled the sliding doors shut. But he couldn't help but think that it was nice someone cared.

###

An hour later he had changed his mind. When people started caring too much, they certainly started to annoy him sooner or later. While he had been in the bathroom Jack had called someone and found out there was a doctor on base. When Daniel had been showered and dressed he was confronted with the idea to see said doctor and get a wheel chair so he didn't have to walk around with his J-leg as long as his stump was sore and swollen.

Daniel had argued that the briefing was more important than his leg – which would heal on its own, by the way. And that he'd be fine if they'd give him crutches. Jack had bitched that he was a stubborn SOB and had finally stomped out in a huff.

When he returned he thrust the crutches at him and said calmly, "I'm not going to order you to see the doc."

Raising his eyebrows over the rim of his glasses, Daniel waited for the "But".

"If you want to be part of the team that'll hunt down Boccie clone or Qetesh, you better be able to wear your damn leg and run with it."

Daniel swallowed down his urge to snipe back at Jack. "Thanks," he said with a nod at the crutches.

Together they made their way to the briefing room which was located exactly where it used to be at Daniel's SGC. Even the furniture resembled what he remembered from home. The high backed black leather chairs around the black and red table, the window with view into what Daniel knew as the gate room.

Only there was no gate down there. The "gate room" was huge and empty.

"Daniel! General!" Sam, who had been sitting at the table, rose to greet them. "You look much better," she said with a smile. Then her eyes traveled over Daniel's missing J-leg and the crutches and the smile became worried. "There's a doctor on base. If you need anything... "

"I'm fine. It just needs some rest, that's all," Daniel assured her as he leaned his crutches at the table and swung around to slide into one of the chairs. "So... what's going on?"

Jack settled in a chair across from him. "Yeah, Carter. What's going on?"

"Where's Cam?" Daniel asked.

"He's..." Sam began, but was interrupted by a male voice coming from the open door to the office in the back of the briefing room.

"He is with Adom. He will join us later." Jack and Daniel turned their chairs and watched as a middle aged man with short raven black hair and frameless glasses approached the table. "Welcome to Cheyenne Mountain," he said with a small bow. "I am Dhiren Kapour."

Daniel had already recognized Kapour from Maybourne's description of the man., but he looked much less ordinary in real life. While not very tall and rather skinny, the dark eyes behind the small glasses were bright and full of vigilant intelligence. His hair was short, almost shorn, and his skin complexion was of a dusky ocher. Like Sam he wore simple blue fatigues without any rank or other insignia. He took place at the head of the table where – in another life and time – General Hammond and later Jack and then Landry used to sit.

"General O'Neill, Doctor Jackson. I am pleased you are here. You know my assistant Colonel Carter... though we aren't the military and therefore rank has very little meaning. Competence and knowledge are more important for the cause."

"Ye-ah... what cause is that exactly?" Daniel asked. "We heard you're looking for followers to rise against Qetesh?"

"That is correct. We need to free Earth from her. We need to re-establish order. Our order, not hers."

"How?" Daniel exchanged a short look with Jack. "Do you have a plan? Or are you just assembling people for now?" He bit back all the other questions on his mind. For now.

"There is always a plan," Kapour said with a thin smile. "The first stage of our plan was to gather followers to build troops."

"And to make sure the military – which is working for vice president Kinsey – can't track us," Sam added.

"Yeah, we heard that much," Jack replied. "Seems you worked that out."

She gave him a quirk of her mouth. "Thank you, sir. Yes. We figured out a way to evade any military tracking. And to still reach people."

Daniel opened his mouth to get to the next obvious point, but Kapour cut him off by answering the unasked question himself. "Before the economy crashed due to the alien invasion there was still a lot money could buy. And I was in the good position to have said money. To buy technology and pay the right people to make it work."

"What kind of technology are we talking about?" Daniel asked.

"Forcefields to shield us from radars and tracking devices for example," Sam said.

"Force fields As in... ?" Daniel trailed off and when there was no reply from either Sam or Kapour, he went on, "Goa'uld technology. Like the staffs?"

Now it was Sam who exchanged a glance with Kapour. He nodded and she turned back to Daniel. "We are using Goa'uld technology, yes. We have to use what's available."

"So you already succeeded in stealing some of Qetesh's ships and doohickeys?" Jack asked. "Nice."

Sam took a deep breath and continued, ""We have small bases all over the country where people keep in touch with us and recruit others willing to rise up against Qetesh. We bring them here to train them in combat or any other skills they have to offer. There's a lot of ex military personnel and officers crossing sides to help us. Kinsey made himself president. He's bad news."

"No kidding. Sooo... you're building an army here?"

"Mr. Kapour has laid out the groundwork. When Colonel Mitchell and I arrived we decided to stay and help," Sam said. "The initial plan was to gather enough people to start a rebellion. It will take years to really make a difference, but a fast and clean solution was out of the question. Qetesh has too much force, too many ships in orbit." She looked at Kapour, who gave her a tiny nod. "We expected to operate in the dark and win many battles, but not the war. Not in a very long time."

"Do I hear a 'but'?" Jack asked, his left eyebrow rising. He turned to Daniel. "Did you hear a 'but'?"

"Yeah, actually, I did."

Sam bit her lip and when she looked at Kapour there seemed to be a silent dialogue between them. Finally she shook her head. "It's complicated."

"No, it isn't," Kapour said mildly.

"Dhiren..."

"No, Samantha. Fate has brought them to us. They need to know their place in the plan."

"The plan was to work underground and not to confront Qetesh until we have enough people to stand a chance," she replied sharply.

Kapour nodded. "Ah, yes. But the plan has changed now. To our favor."

"We still need more people," Sam insisted. "Even with General O'Neill's help we have to wait."

"Adom will have to make the decision. But please, I'm sure the general and Doctor Jackson have a lot of questions that need to be addressed," Kapour said, unyielding. Sam pressed her lips together and looked pinched.

"First question would be," Jack began, "what's your agenda, Kapour? And how did us showing up here change your plans?"

"Are we not interested in the same goal? To regain control of our planet?"

"You're not a politician," Daniel pointed out. "Once Qetesh is out of the way... how do you expect things to evolve?"

"I have a vision," Kapour said solemnly. "What I see is a new world order. We won't be Americans, Europeans, Indians and Asians or Arabians anymore. We will only be _the people_. I envision us all being one big nation that recognizes the uselessness of war and power greed. Adom and I will try to lead Earth into this new world order. It will not happen over night. But the current world order has been damaged by Qetesh and we can make sure things will be different once the evil has been purged from this planet. It might also fail. We don't know that. But we will try. I am neither a Guru nor a God or a prophet. I am just a man. But like everyone who joined the cause I want Earth to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes. A better Earth."

Daniel listened to all this and found two voices quarreling inside his head. The cynical side in him, an aspect of his personality that had grown like a shield around his ideals and pacifistic views... That cynical side in him rolled its eyes and thought, _Get real, Kapour.__Very nice vision. Sounds like paradise to me. But isn't it a bit too much Roddenberry? This isn't Star Trek. This is the real world. People won't learn. They won't change. For a while maybe, yes. But not long term. We'll fall back into our old ways sooner or later. There's always someone in the crowd who needs the power, who'll bring back politics, racism, money, power... you can't change us. No one can. _

Yet, there was another side in him, still. Even after all these years of losses, disappointments, battles and uphill runs against windmills. The side that had seen planets being freed from the Goa'uld, had witnessed people stand up against their demons, gods, fears... Maybe it was possible. They had defeated the Goa'uld once. They had defeated the Ori. They were a race of great potential. Wasn't that what the Asgard had told Jack – back then when he first had the Ancient repository downloaded into his head? And not so long ago when they had been on Thor's ship... Great potential.

But was Kapour the one to make Earth a better place?

"Who is this Adom character?" Jack interrupted Daniel's thoughts.

"He's a very intelligent, very ambitious young man. He is my right hand, so to speak. He is very resourceful." Kapour said. "He made it possible for us to get our hands on the alien technology."

"Is he Goa'uld?" Daniel asked Sam. He had never heard of Adom before. It wasn't a god's name, but it was Egyptian and it meant 'he who receives help of the gods'.

Sam shook her head.

"No." Kapour said before she could reply. "He is not. But he came from one of the ships Ba'al brought here. He used to be a personal servant of Ba'al and escaped after Qetesh killed his master."

"He was his Lo'taur," Daniel summarized.

"His... what?" Jack asked.

"A human servant. Most system lords had one. The Lo'taur are the most trustworthy servants of the Goa'uld. Sometimes they take over the symbiote if the original host gets killed. And sometimes the Goa'uld use their Lo'taur as sex slaves. But they're also known to serve them in many other ways," Daniel explained.

"Ah. Sex slave you say? Isn't that TMI?"

"I'm just laying out the facts," Daniel replied, giving Jack an innocent look.

"Adom has given us much valuable information. Ba'al trusted him with anything," Kapour interrupted their little bantering. Sam remained silent.

"And this Lo'taur was in the position to get you staffs and the technology to set up force fields and lay faked traces for the military?" Daniel asked doubtfully.

"Let's just say he knew where to look," Kapour replied. "He had known of Ba'al's plan to take over the whole universe. Ba'al had made dispositions on Earth when he traveled back in time. Adom knew where to find some of Ba'al's hidden armories."

"Nice," Jack said dryly.

"How do you know you can trust him?" Daniel asked. "Some Lo'taurs are loyal to their masters. Not all of them feel enslaved. I met one of Ba'al's Lo'taurs once and he was very happy to serve. He actually hoped to become host one day as a reward for his loyalty." He tried to make eye contact with Sam and when she glanced at him he tried to read the expression on her face. Anger? Or just unease? Before she turned away, she shook her head slightly.

Kapour, however, rose from his seat and cast Daniel with a glare. "Adom is like a son to me. He would never deceive us. He pledged his allegiance to me and the cause." Swiftly the man spun on his heels. "We will meet again once he and Mitchell have returned. Then we will address all your other questions and the changes of our plan. Please show our guests around, Samantha. And make sure they get a decent meal." With that Kapour hurried out.

###

The tour through the mountain was yet another déjá vu for Daniel. Familiar layout, different interior. They had extended the gym level where recruits were trained in hand to hand combat. There were several firing ranges now and a whole level just made into conference rooms for meetings and Stargate 101 classes given by those who had studied everything Adom had taught them about the Goa'uld, the universe and the gate. When Sam and Cam had arrived they had contributed their own knowledge and were now giving classes as well if their time permitted it. "Knowledge is power," Sam said with a shrug when Jack pointed out he felt like he was back in the academy. "The more these people know, the better. They need to be prepared for what's coming. Basically this is a training facility now."

"Do you believe in Kapour's vision?" Dainel asked her.

"I believe in defeating Qetesh," Sam replied somewhat elusive. "And at this point, Kapour is our only chance to make it work."

They got to see a very impressive armory. "You got all this from a hidden place of Ba'als?" Daniel saw staffs, zats and stun grenades, but also Earth weapons, probably stolen from military facilities. There were also Jaffa armors, hand ribbon devices and...

"Are those Kull Warrior suits?" Daniel stared at Sam in amazement.

"It looks like more than it is." She grimaced. "We have some great stuff in here, but not enough. And we still need people who're capable of actually using these weapons."

"How many men do you have?" Jack picked up one of the Kull helmets. "Crap. Are these from a Star Wars movie?"

"Right now two hundred men and women are living here, in various stages of training." She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and Daniel noticed the anxiousness in her blue eyes. "We're up against an army of several thousand Jaffa and five mother-ships in orbit. Qetesh is on Earth right now and we don't know which ones of the other system lords are on those ships. She has troops all over the world and she's establishing order quickly. Too quickly. Kinsey that bastard is supporting her to save his own ass. We need more time." Frustrated, she banged the door to the armory shut. The guard posted outside didn't even flinch.

Next they were led to the infirmary, locker rooms, storage rooms doubling as bunk rooms and finally the commissary. "Let's have coffee," Sam said and pointed at a table in the back of the room. A dozen men and women were having dinner or lunch – Daniel wasn't sure what time it was. When they entered, some of them greeted Sam with a nod or a wave.

"Where'd you get coffee?" Jack asked when he peered into his mug a moment later. He took a tentative sip and grinned at Daniel across the table. "It's good."

Sam shrugged. "Kapour has his sources. When we arrived here, he had already established this base. Cam and I only contributed what we knew. Everything else Kapour did. He had the money. Well, by now our money isn't worth much anymore, but in those first months after the attack, money was still the key to the world. Now he's offering shelter and the hope of freedom in exchange for fuel, food, medical supplies, clothes. But no one is turned down, whether they have something to contribute or not." After a pause she added, "And then there's Adom." Sam lowered her voice when she continued, "He was already here, too. There's no naquadah in his blood. At least I can't sense any. So he's not Goa'uld. But I don't buy into the Lo'taur story. Kapour sees the son in him he never had. He won't even consider that Adom might not be who he pretends to be."

"Well, if he's not Goa'uld and not a Lo'taur, who is he?" Daniel asked in a hushed voice.

"I don't know. I tried to find his medical file, but there is none. Doctor Lam never created one."

"Lam? She's your doctor?" Daniel shook his head. He should have gotten used to this by now...

A grin crossed Sam's face. "Yeah. Weird, huh? Anyway, there's no file about Adom." And as far as I know she examines everyone who arrives at least once to create a file." A group of young men passed by their table and Sam stopped talking until they were out of earshot. Then she added. "All we know about Adom is that he's Arabic, probably around twenty to twenty five years old. He claims to have been Ba'al's Lo'taur and that he escaped from his ship after his master had been killed by Qetesh. That's his story."

"Okay, but could it be true? He might have been in Ba'al's services. Maybe he grew up as a slave and became Ba'al's personal servant," Daniel said.

Sam bit her lip and shook her head. "I can't put my finger on it. He knows too much. I doubt that even a Lo'taur who's been loved by his master in any form would know this much."

"What does he know?" Jack asked.

"Everything." Sam shrugged. "Ba'al's whole plan to alter the time line. More than that; he seems to know the history of both time lines. When we arrived and settled in, we found out that Kapour knew everything. About the gate, the time machine, the two time lines... He even knew Cam and I were from the other time line and he knew all about SG-1. We asked him how he could possibly have all that intel and he introduced us to Adom, who apparently told him everything he needed to know."

"And he led Kapour to Ba'al's hiding places here on Earth," Daniel added thoughtfully. "If I didn't know better, I'd say Adom is Ba'al's clone."

"Maybe he is?" Jack eyed the apple pie on his plate, then tackled it with his fork. Rolling his eyes in bliss he mumbled around a mouthful of pie, "I missed this."

"The clones of Ba'al we encountered so far were all perfect doubles of Ba'al. Adom is much younger even though there are some similarities. From the way he looks and acts he could be Ba'al's biological son."

"An Harsesis," Daniel murmured. A child conceived by two Goa'uld hosts, born with the genetic knowledge of all Goa'uld. "It's forbidden." He sighed. "Strike that. Apophis did it, so Ba'al could've done it, too. And since he was the most powerful system lord until he died, no one would have stopped him."

"Exactly. And all of Ba'al clones had symbiotes implanted. Well, a cloned symbiote actually," Sam explained. "But I'd know if he had, unless he uses some drug to suppress the naquadah in his blood. But without a blood sample we won't find out."

"Or," Daniel followed that train of thought, "Ba'al found a new way of cloning and made himself some kind of... son. Someone he could trust to fulfill his mission without being recognized by anyone."

Sam nodded. "That's another possibility Cam and I had considered. But there's no proof. Cam searched Adom's quarters once, when he had left the mountain for a couple of days. We hoped to find something that might give us a hint. But he came up empty handed." With a small grimace she added. "And Adom does work in our favor. That's the one thing that doesn't add up. Adom really seems to be on our side. Sure he might have his own agenda. But he's forthcoming on all levels and while he's very passionate about freeing Earth, he's not... god-like. He's not posing as a deity. Kapour would be an idiot not to keep him close. Cam is trying to build up a foundation with Adom, to gain his trust. In the hopes to learn something new about this guy."

"Where are they?" Daniel asked, curious. He really wanted to meet this Adom now.

A grin blossomed on Sam's face. "You'll never guess... we'll get a gate soon."

"The gate from the ocean?"

"Yes. Adom, Cam and a dozen men moved out to re-capture it."

"But isn't it guarded? By ships? You can't just go there and ring it up?" Jack asked after another bite of pie.

"The area is being scanned from one of Qetesh's ships in orbit. But with Adom's help we were finally able to make a reconfiguration of the tel'tak's cloaking so that it'll include the tractor beam and the gate, once we have it. So to anyone who's scanning the area, the ship, beam and gate will be invisible. To make sure they won't find out that the gate is gone too soon, we'll replace the original with a holographic gate."

"A holographic gate?" Daniel inquired.

"Yes. We used Asgard holographic technology."

"Let me guess... Adom had it hidden somewhere." Daniel had to give Ba'al one thing – he prepared well on all levels.

Sam nodded and continued, "And opposed to the rings we won't have to de-cloak anymore in order to activate the tractor beam."

"How many tel'taks do you have anyway?" Jack wanted to know.

"Only the one we arrived in. They used to have another one before that, but it was destroyed by one of Qetesh's ships a couple months ago." She tilted her head to one side and gave Daniel a questioning look. "How did you guys get here, by the way?"

But just as Daniel had started talking, a young red haired woman entered the commissary and crossed the room quickly. She stopped at their table and, with a shy smile at the two men, turned to Sam. "Mr. Kapour asked you to come to the gate room. Adom is back." Then her smile widened as she added in a hushed voice. "It's here, Sam! I saw it! It's huge!"

Sam pushed back her chair and put a hand on the woman's arm. "I know, Tracy. Wait till you see it spin!" To Jack and Daniel she said, "This is Tracy Wrangler. She's Mr. Kapour's aide. Tracy, these are General O'Neill and Doctor Jackson." Before either of them could say anything else, Sam took lead and they were on their way to the briefing room.

Mitchell clapped Daniel's shoulder and gave them his warmest farm-boy grin, apparently happy to see him alive. The feeling was mutual and Daniel found himself grinning back at his friend. "Miss me, Sunshine?" Mitchell asked and smirked when Daniel rolled his eyes at him.

"Terribly," he replied dryly.

"Be still my heart." Cam sighed, then sobered somewhat and nodded at Jack. "It's great to see you, General O'Neill."

"Mitchell," Jack said almost cheerful as he bared his teeth into what could have been a smile... maybe. Daniel didn't count on it.

Sam smiled and squeezed Cam's arm as she passed by them and exchanged a few words with Kapour and a young tall man. Then she rushed past them again and left the briefing room.

###

"That's the plan?" Jack glared at the young man now sitting at the head of the briefing room table. "You're kidding."

Adom smiled and shook his head. His dark brown eyes were settled on Jack. "That is the plan." He bent forward, his elbows on the table and his fingertips pressed together like he was going to pray. "You are the key to our success, General O'Neill."

"Look, kid..." Adom's eyes narrowed slightly at being addressed as a child, but he didn't object and Jack continued, "That's a bold plan. Kinda ambitious actually. But even if it's going to work, we have to take over the outpost first."

"We have enough men to accomplish that. It just never was an option because we needed someone carrying the Ancient gene," Adom said calmly.

"And what if they already destroyed the chair?" Daniel asked. "The fact that they can't use it doesn't mean they won't blow it up to prevent others from using it. We would have sacrificed good men for nothing."

"Sacrifices are sometimes necessary," the young man said, his face hardening. "It would be a chance to end this war much faster. It would help your planet. We don't know if the chair is still intact, but we have to try."

"The Ancient drones will eliminate all ships in orbit, but what about the countless troops of Jaffa on the surface? What about Qetesh?" Daniel shook his head. "Just taking over the Ancient outpost and letting Jack use the chair won't do it."

"What he said," Jack said, waving at Daniel.

Adom smiled again. A charming smile showing perfect white teeth. Predatory. There was a gleam in his eyes Daniel knew from … from Ba'al. It was almost mischievous, but at the edge of something dark and dangerous. Adom was muscular and fit. He probably spent long hours in the gym, lifting weights or running on the treadmill. He seemed always alert, always on guard. A hotspur, yet calm and calculated if he had to be.

His hair was as dark as Kapour's and he, too, wore it short, but not as short as his older friend.

Yes, he did remind Daniel of Ba'al. A much younger version and sans the beard. Yet... they had the same distinguished face. Chiseled cheekbones and nose. Attractive. Striking. But in a dark and dangerous way.

It was easy to imagine this man in twenty or thirty years...

His voice was dark and masculine, a pleasant voice.

"Once Qetesh loses her ships in orbit she has lost her greatest power. And she will be cut off from her troops since communication will be severed. The result will be chaos. And aside from that... " Adom paused. "Once Qetesh realizes what we have done, she will take matters into her own hands."

"She'll send her first prime," Daniel said. "Before she ever sets foot into the outpost she'll send as many Jaffa as possible to kill us. How many sacrifices are you willing to make, Adom?"

He raised his eyebrows. "As many as necessary. Sooner or later she will come. Then we'll take her. Once Qetesh is gone the Jaffa won't be interested in taking over Earth since they have no one to serve anymore."

"And with no ships left in orbit there won't be any other system lords left," Kapour added. He bowed his head in respect. "Adom's plan is very reasonable."

"What's in it for you?" Jack asked, eyes fixed on Adom. They had asked Kapour the same question. Jack tilted his head towards the older man. "You believe in his vision of a better world?"

"I lost my home. My purpose. Ba'al was all I knew before Qetesh killed him." For a moment Daniel saw something else in Adom's face. Hate. Like a blade of steel it flashed in the brown eyes, only for a second. Then it was gone again. "Mr. Kapour took me in and gave me a new purpose. A new home. I intend to support the cause."

"Did Ba'al raise you?" Daniel asked, curious.

Adom cocked his head and considered this. "In a way, yes. He did. I was his Lo'taur and I was trained for it all my life."

"So your reason for helping us is revenge. Because you're loyal to Ba'al."

"I am going to fight Qetesh to her last breath. Whatever it takes, I will do."

"Why?" Daniel pressed.

"Because she is the enemy."

"Yours or Ba'als?"

"Isn't she your enemy too, Daniel? May I call you Daniel? She is our enemy. The past does not matter anymore."

The real scary thing in this was that the man was right.

But would they trade one evil for another?

"And it is irrelevant now. We need to take action!" Kapour said, raising his voice enough to make himself heard.

"I agree," Cam said. "And I think we should give it a go." He glanced at Jack, who was doodling on his notepad. "General?"

Jack arched his left eyebrow, took a satisfied look at his doodling and then turned his attention to Mitchell. "If I agree to this, I need to know how exactly our chances are. How many people we have and how good they are. And do we have an idea how big this outpost is? Daniel? Any nasty surprises?"

For the next hour they tried to find common ground on how to make Adom's ambitious plan work. It was a long exhausting briefing, but in the end they all had to agree on one thing. Jack using the chair at the Ancient outpost was their only real chance to stop Qetesh before she could establish her position on Earth any further. She had already done so much damage. If there was a way to at least weaken her, this was it.

"Put together teams and brief them on the situation," Jack finally addressed Cam. "Have them on standby."

"Yes, sir."

Jack had taken over from the moment they agreed on going through with the operation. It happened without a hitch, without any word lost about it at all. Jack had long stopped doodling on his notepad. He had listened with intent to Daniel's intel about the Ancient outpost, had asked Cam and Adom about their resources in men and firepower.

They scheduled another briefing for the next day and Jack dismissed them. Adom and Kapour left first. The older man bowed his head in respect. "You made the right decision, O'Neill. You will not regret this action."

"Yeah, well, we'll see," Jack muttered and watched them leave. As soon as the two men were out of ear shot he swiftly turned to Mitchell. "Is there a place where we can talk?"

"Yep. A storage room on level 18. The camera in the corridor is rotating. Once you leave the elevator you wait till it moves into the other direction, then it's the next door to the left. I'll wait for you there. Knock twice." Mitchell smirked. "I'll bring the snacks."

###

Said storage room was a stuffed place full of shelves and crates. But in a corner someone had set up an old office desk and four chairs. Daniel spotted a desk lamp and when they settled at the table, Cam pulled out a bag of potato chips from somewhere and several bottles.

"Is that beer?" Jack asked, his eyes widening.

"Yep. But our stash is almost gone. And I don't know when we'll get more. Or if we ever will." Cam handed a bottle to Jack and another one to Daniel. "Man, we really need to do something about Qetesh, if we're getting low on beer."

Jack snorted, but sobered quickly and took a look around. "What happened to the security cam in here?"

"Sam and I dismantled it and reported it broken. They were supposed to replace it, but this is just a storage room and the cams are more needed in other places. It's not like they grow on trees. The security system was already here when they moved in and they only pepped it up a bit. So no one really cares about a storage room without cameras."

"Sweet," Jack mumbled.

Daniel took a swig of his beer and enjoyed the freshness and the slightly bitter taste. He was more of a wine person than beer, but he had grown to like it over the years. And beer was a luxury they didn't have on the Alpha site.

There was another knock at the door and a moment later Sam joined them. She looked flushed and almost chipper as she took a beer from Cam and settled on a chair next to Daniel. "The gate is working! We put it in the old gate room and set it up. These new hand-held DHDs make things so much easier. I didn't have to MacGyver a computer program this time. You just put it on the outer ring – it's magnetic – and type in the address and that's it."

"Adom gave it to you?" Daniel asked even though he knew the answer.

"Yeah. Ba'al invented them. Or someone who worked for him invented them. Teal'c had one too, remember? When we went to destroy the time machine." She took a sip of her beer and brushed her hair from her face. "Having our own gate is a huge achievement."

"That's what we need to talk to you about," Daniel said. He and Jack had discussed it after the briefing when they were back in their quarters. "What do you really think about Adom and Kapour. Can we trust them? I mean trust them beyond our joint goal to get rid of Qetesh?"

"Kapour we can trust. Adom, I'm not sure of," Sam said without hesitation and Cam nodded.

"He's fishy."

"Useful, but hard to place."

"Actually, there's someone who might know him," Daniel said.

Jack pulled his radio from a pocket in his shirt. "This is O'Neill. You there, T?"

After a moment of static, Teal'c's voice came through loud and clear. "I am here. Are you well, O'Neill?"

"We're good. What's your position?"

"I am still undetected in a higher orbit around Earth."

"Good. We're in an ex-military base. We found the underground group. There's a guy here, looks a lot like your former almighty god Ba'al, just younger."

"Adom."

"Yeah, that's him. You know him?"

"Indeed."

"Is he Ba'al's Lo'taur?" Daniel asked, leaning into Jack's personal space to make himself heard over the radio.

"Some say he is. Others say he is his son. He was raised in Ba'al's house and later Ba'al took Adom with him when he traveled or went into battle. I have not seen him in many years. It is said he moved to Dakara to live at the temple."

"So he wasn't on Ba'al's ship when Qetesh killed him?"

"No, he was not."

Daniel and Jack exchanged a look. "Maybe he was on one of the other ships and no one knew," Daniel thought out loud.

"Or he was already on Earth before it was attacked. He could have come through the Antarctic gate long before we got here. Or by ship," Sam said.

"Is Colonel Carter with you?" Teal'c asked.

"Yes, she and Mitchell are both here," Jack replied "Adom pretends to be on our side. You have any idea what his real agenda is?"

There was silence, then Teal'c's voice came through the speaker again. "Adom is loyal to Ba'al. The only reason he will collaborate with the Tau'ri is to revenge Ba'al's death and kill Qetesh. You must be very careful."

Jack said, "Yeah. We need a plan. Can you hold your position for a bit longer, T?"

"The cloaking device is working well, O'Neill. Qetesh's ships have not moved and there is no indication that they have detected our communication. However, we cannot speak much longer."

"Right. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Keep your head down."

"How will keeping my head down help me to stay undetected?"

Jack looked flummoxed for a moment, then shook his head. "It's just an expression. It means; Be careful and stay out of trouble."

"I see. I will 'keep my head down', O'Neill."

"Good. O'Neill out." He pocketed away his radio. "So," he addressed his companions. "Carter, can we use your new gate without Adom or Kapour noticing?"

"I suppose, yes - if we do it at night and use the hand held DHD. So far the gate isn't connected with any alarm system, but we'll have to do it soon."

"But they'll notice anyway. Even if no klaxons go off, the spinning of the gate will be noticed," Daniel warned.

"Not that much. I installed dampers," Sam said with a grin. "It's the first thing I did when we set it up. Sometimes it comes in handy to have done all this beforehand. Experience makes things a lot easier."

"Yeah. We could have used your dampers at McMurdo," Daniel grumbled, remembering how they had been flying out the gate on Cimmeria.

"Cam and I will take watch at the control room tonight. That's the easy part. I'm in charge of the gate so I'll just tell them I have more calibrating to do and then run some diagnostics. I could explain away an active gate with this, too, if someone notices," Sam said. "You want to go to the Alpha site?"

"Yes," Daniel said.

"I guess there'll be a power glitch in the security system, causing the cameras to go offline for the rest of the night," Sam said with a twinkle in her blue eyes.

"Uh, wouldn't that be a bit obvious?" Daniel asked.

"No, it's happened before. The system is old, and it was never overhauled like ours. This never was the SGC in this time line. It was neglected because for a long time, it was only used as a training facility and then it was shut down completely. Power glitches are not unusual. Usually it is fixed fairly easy, but tonight the problem will take a while to figure out," Sam said.

Daniel smiled. It was good to have her back.

###

"The cameras are still off," Jack said many hours later as they hurried down a semi dark corridor to their quarters. They had returned at 03:45 hrs EST. The mountain was dark and everyone who wasn't on watch was in bed. "You think she really keeps them off all night?"

"I don't know," Daniel replied absently. His mind was still on their visit to the Alpha site and the plan they had developed in agreement with Hammond.

He pushed their door open and then let out a strangled "Oomph!" as he was spun around and pushed with his back against the wall. The door shut with a low snick and he heard a key being turned. Hands steadied him roughly as he let go of the crutch. With a muffled bang it landed somewhere on the floor. His fingers pulled and jerked at Jack's jacket until it joined the crutch on the carpet. Dry hot lips pressed onto his, forcing his mouth open and Daniel complied willingly, moaning deep in his throat as their tongues explored, battled and lips greedily sucked.

If the camera sprang back to life now, whoever was watching would get a real eye-full.

But there was no room for thoughts like this to linger in Daniel's head right now.

"Bed," he ordered harshly when they came up for air.

"I've got you," Jack whispered. He walked backwards, his arms securely around Daniel, moving them both through the room. Somehow they didn't stumble and fall. They reached the bed and Daniel landed on top of Jack.

"What do you want?" Daniel asked huskily.

Jack's groin bumped into him. "You. Anything."

Daniel chuckled and moved down Jack's body to deal with his pants. Swiftly he opened them and, with Jack's eager help, pushed them down along with the underwear. "Let me show you...," he murmured and buried his nose into the general's pubic hair, inhaling the rich scent of Jack. The sting of what he had lost in his own time line was instantly there, but again it seemed to be layered by the new sensations of re-connecting. Of realizing he had found it again. Not the same. Yet, this was as perfect as it would ever get.

Jack opened his legs and let out a sound that was almost a purr when Daniel started to kiss and nibble the sensitive skin just underneath his erection. Then he caressed Jack's balls with his mouth, making the older man gasp and arch his back.

"Da...," Jack groaned. "Dan...!"

Daniel raised his head. "Are you okay?"

"Hell, yes," Jack said, trying to keep his voice down. "Don't you stop!"

With a knowing grin, Daniel went back to what he had been doing. Jack had always liked this. And Daniel was skilled with his mouth. Very. He sucked in Jack's heavy balls, his tongue playfully encircling them. Jack reached down for his cock, but Daniel batted his hands away with a low growl. He let go of his prize with a low wet plopping sound. He pulled one knee under his body and carefully maneuvered the remainder of his other leg so that it was cushioned by the comforter. But he had to use both hands to steady himself and not to put too much pressure on his stump. Finally he settled on his elbows and put his hands on Jack's thighs to keep him from moving too much.

"Hurry," Jack panted.

"Patience," Daniel smirked and blew softly over the tip of Jack's red rigid cock.

"I'm old. No time for patience," Jack moaned. Now his hands came to settle on Daniel's head. "Oh. My... yesss..."

Daniel's tongue flicked out to catch the drops of leaking pre-come. Then he blew again, very well aware he was driving his lover nuts. But his own need for release made him comply when Jack tightened his grip in Daniel's hair and his head was pushed further down. His mouth closed around Jack's shaft and all thoughts of teasing went out the window as Daniel began to suck and lick. His tongue swirled and lavished, his teeth grazed the hot flesh...

Jack came with a growl and Daniel's name on his lips and Daniel swallowed as much as he could and didn't let go until Jack stopped bucking and thrusting. Only then did he release him and licked his salty wet lips. He managed to move off Jack and stretch out next to him without too much pain in his stump. Jack flopped boneless to his side and Daniel could feel the older man's eyes on him in the dark. Then a calloused hand traced Daniel's face with utter tenderness and Jack's lips brushed against his. Before the hand could move away, Daniel took hold of it and moved it down to his own waiting erection.

Jack moved closer. They were lying face to face and as they started to kiss again, Jack's fingers did as much magic to Daniel as his mouth had done to Jack earlier. They didn't speak for a long time, not even as they were holding each other close in the afterglow of their orgasms. Daniel's body seemed to be too heavy to move, but he was light headed and sated.

It was the flicker of red in the upper corner of the room that had them move more quickly than they intended to.

Jack cursed and moved away from Daniel, frantically grabbing for the blankets. Daniel almost rolled out of bed as the comforter was jerked away from under him. Cursing, he tried to heave himself up to help and somehow Jack got hold of the blanket and managed to throw it over them before the flicker of light steadied and the eye of the security camera settled on them.

"Crap," Jack hissed somewhere next to Daniel. "At least it's dark. You okay?"

"Fine," Daniel ground out, rubbing his thigh. It was still sensitive even though he had stayed off the leg the last two days.

"Sorry," Jack whispered.

"Not your fault."

They settled into the bed, pulling the blankets up to their jaws. But underneath, unseen by the red eye of security, their hands met and fingers entwined.

"Where'd you learn what you did with your tongue?" Jack asked out of the blue.

"Impressed?" Daniel asked teasingly.

"Just curious," Jack teased back.

"Some alien taught me. You know what it's like... having to play nice with the natives and all," Daniel said.

"Some alien taught you how to give head?" Jack sounded actually amazed for a moment.

"There are some very impressive aliens out there," Daniel went on. "Some have two cocks."

"You dirty little slut," Jack snorted and pinched Daniel's left nipple. "Impressing aliens my ass!"

"You asked," Daniel said innocently, while he tried not to laugh.

"So it's been SOP to fuck the aliens you wanna make your allies, eh? I need to ask Carter about that. Or Mitchell... "

"Yes, ask Mitchell," Daniel grinned. "I want to see that."

"I bet you do. And if he keeps calling you 'Sunshine' I have to kill him." Jack abruptly changed the subject. He was still playing with one of Daniel's nipples under the blankets and Daniel had trouble concentrating on what Jack was saying all of a sudden. Jack gave the erect bud another pinch. "So he better stop doing that."

"What?" Daniel murmured.

"Calling you 'Sunshine'."

"Oh, that."

"Tell him to stop it," Jack growled half in jest.

"Mmmh... maybe... ow!" Daniel pushed Jack's hand off his chest.

"I can't wait to get you back to Cal Mah," Jack said. "No cameras, no Mitchell... " He frowned. "Do you think there're Jaffa who are into guys?"

"I'm sure there are," Daniel said thoughtfully. "We could ask Teal'c."

"Let's assume there aren't. I didn't notice any. I'd have to fight them off you with a stick."

"Someone is a bit possessive."

"Hmmm," Jack murmured and pulled the blanket over his head.

"Ja-ack, what are you... " But the words died on his lips as he felt his tortured nipple gently kissed and licked. He leaned back and enjoyed the treatment for a moment, wondering how much the camera would transmit.

But he didn't care much. Tomorrow they'd either win or lose the most important battle in this war. They had a right to spent what could well be their last night together the way they wanted to.

With a shrug at the camera, Daniel joined Jack under the blanket.


	7. End of the Road

**VII **

**END OF THE ROAD**

The moment they had ringed into the Ancient outpost they were surrounded by Jaffa and under heavy fire. There weren't many chances to seek cover. The outpost was a circular chamber, the Ancient chair at its center. Daniel knew there was a stasis chamber off to the side, but not easy to reach from their position near the rings. So no way to seek cover there. It was gloomy; the only light coming from four wall torches the Jaffa must have brought with them when they'd taken over the outpost.

It was hard to figure out how many warriors they were up against. They were lurking in the shadows, but the fire blasts from staff weapons greeted them with fierce strength.

The only option was to shoot their way through the chamber until they'd reach the ZPM slot and chair. Their advantage was the surprise moment as they ringed in. But Qetesh's warriors were skilled and seasoned men who recovered quickly from their moment of confusion... and all hell broke loose.

In the following chaos of staff blasts, P90 fire salvos, zat beams and a rain of shotgun bullets Daniel lost all track of time. The fight could have lasted days, hours or just minutes. The only thing he focused on was survival - and killing in order to survive.

Men and women went down to his left and right, yells and screams echoed through the underground cave.

Energy beams, yellow and blue, crossed paths and struck down Jaffa and humans alike.

Daniel and Mitchelll covered Jack as he weaved his way through the fighting Jaffa and Kapour's people, trying to get to the ZPM slot without being noticed.

_Come on, Sam_, Daniel thought with gritted teeth, _Hurry up!_

But again and again fire erupted around him, again and again bodies fell, again and again...

Not long and the Jaffa backup would arrive.

As soon as this thought formed in his mind, he heard the humming of the rings over the weapon fire.

"More Jaffa on our asses!" That was Mitchelll, yelling.

"Crap," Jack snarled. They had gotten closer to the center of the chamber, but now they had to turn and take out more incoming Jaffa.

"Go!" Daniel yelled. "We'll take care of them!"

Jack gave him the thumbs up and plowed through a wall of Jaffa, shooting left, right and middle all at once, or so it seemed. Mitchell and Daniel followed him, back to back,

Kapour wheeled his own staff like a master. Daniel had never seen him in training, but apparently Adom had taught his older friend well.

The young man was putting on an impressive fight. He, too, was armed with a staff. But he was also knocking Jaffa down with well aimed kicks to jaws, torsos or lower. This man had been trained to be a fighting machine, not just a personal servant.

"Daniel!" Jack had reached the slot in the ground, close to the chair, where the ZPM had to be inserted. He was kneeling and pulling the device from the bag he'd been carrying.

Daniel and Mitchelll continued to cover him.

Just as the ZPM slid into place, two grim looking Jaffa suddenly chose that moment to pay attention to them.

"Jaffa, kree!" one of them shouted.

The other one didn't utter a word, he just fired.

Daniel couldn't even pull the trigger of his MP5, the guy was too fast. He saw the blast coming. In the split of a second he dove down, his J-leg slipping away. Even as he fell he tried to roll over and land on his back to shoot at the Jaffa, but instead he crashed hard on his left shoulder and a searing pain knocked the air out off his lungs for a moment.

Hands grabbed him, pulled him up and steadied him. Jack's harsh breathing close to his ear. "You okay?"

"Fine," Daniel ground out as he struggled to his feet again, frantically adjusting the damn leg. " ." He felt Jack's hand pat his back, then it was gone.

And the shooting continued.

The rings hummed again.

Daniel jammed a new clip into his weapon.

Somewhere close to him, Mitchell fired rounds and rounds of bullets into their enemies.

Then it stopped.

Jaffa and humans alike froze and stared at the lone figure sitting in the ancient chair, watched as the ground next to it melted away. A collective gasp went through the chamber when an army of firefly-like lights descended from the ground and left the chamber through the ceiling.

"They have accessed the chair!" one of the Jaffa barked.

And with that the short cease-fire was over.

Mitchell and Daniel exchanged a glance and Daniel nodded. It was now or never. If they weren't here yet...

He clicked his radio, yelling, "Sam?"

_Be there_, he thought, _please be there. Now._

"Daniel!" Her voice had never sounded so good in his ears. She was there... and that meant the plan had worked. "It's working! The drones are heading straight for the motherships in orbit. How's your position?"

"Oh, ah, we could need backup."

"Copy that. We'll beam down now."

They appeared in a brilliant white beam of light.

Sam, Teal'c and several teams from the Alpha site, armed to their teeth.

That's when it really got crowded.

Finally, when the remaining Jaffa had lain down their staffs and surrendered to Teal'c's passionate promise of freedom, the silence seemed to be louder than the fight's noises had been. Daniel still had a ringing in his ears, could still see lights before his eyes. He blinked and shook his head to get rid of it. His head was buzzing and he very carefully moved his J-leg as he made his way over to the chair where Jack was still sitting, motionless, his face illuminated by the ghostly light generating from the chair.

Daniel reached out a hand, almost afraid to touch. When his fingers connected with Jack's arm, the older man moved his head and bottomless brown eyes gazed at him unfocused.

"Jack?"

Jack blinked, then turned his face away from him and closed his eyes.

"I think he isn't done yet," Daniel said to Sam and Cam who who'd stepped up next to them.

"Deja vu," Sam murmured.

"Yes." Daniel couldn't keep his mind from wandering down Memory Lane either. This Jack hadn't been exposed to the repository. Surely he wouldn't step into the stasis chamber once this was all over? A cold shiver ran down Daniel's spine and he bit his lip. He knew Sam had come with an Asgard ship. But... "You brought Thor, didn't you?"

"Yes. When we went to Cimmeria from the Alpha Site and contacted him, he was willing to assist us immediately. He said it was time to act now and he insisted on being the one who'd join us."

"He was impressed when we told him we were going to take back the arctic outpost. Well, as impressed as an Asgard can be, I guess," Mitchell smirked. Then he sobered and said, "I'll check on my people." With that he left them standing by the chair.

"Just in case Jack wants to play Sleeping Beauty again I need Thor to revive him," Daniel said.

Sam put a gentle hand on his arm. "He'll be alright, Daniel," she whispered. "You won't lose him again."

And when their eyes met he could see that she knew. About him and Jack. Somehow she knew. Wordlessly he covered her hand with his and squeezed it gratefully.

"I have never seen a weapon like this," Teal'c's deep, rumbling voice made them turn around. He stood in front of the still spiraling lights, his eyes following them as they ascended through the ceiling.

"It's very sophisticated," Sam agreed.

"They look like fireflies," Teal'c said. "Yet, they are deadly. I have seen what they do from orbit before the Asgard ship arrived."

"They aren't life forms. They're drones designed to destroy Goa'uld ships," Sam explained.

Adom stepped out of the shadows and joined them. "We have secured the rings. It is done."

"What now?" Sam asked.

"Now we will wait for Qetesh," Adom said, his dark eyes settling on her. "I did not know about the additional backup, Samantha. Well done. May I ask why you did not confide in me?"

"We weren't sure it would work out," she said smoothly. "And I had orders from my superiors to keep quiet about it."

His eyes narrowed, but only a fraction, then he smiled. "You managed to contact the Asgard, I see. Very good." Then he cocked his head and looked at her intently. "Ba'al underestimated you. Again. That is quite... fascinating. He would be impressed if he was still alive."

"Really? I rather think he would be mad," Sam said dryly.

"He always admired your strength," Adom pointed out. "And SG-1 was a formidable enemy to him. Ba'al was bored easily. SG-1 kept him on his toes."

"Adom." It was Teal'c. He moved away from the firefly drones and gave Ba'al's Lo'taur a long dark look. "When you have avenged Ba'al's death, will you leave this planet?"

"Teal'c! It is good to see you. More surprises. I have not decided yet. Dhiren would like me to stay and assist him."

"This is not your world. You cannot stay. You are not needed here. The Tau'ri do not need a god. Nor the son of a god."

Adom spun around, his voice laced by cold anger. "I am not interested in taking over this planet. All I'm interested is to see Qetesh dead."

At this precise moment the rings chose to hum again and everyone quickly joined the circle of grim looking soldiers pointing their weapons at whoever might materialize in the ring's circle.

It was Qetesh, accompanied by Ha'rom, her first prime.

Mitchell shot Ha'rom the moment he began adjusting his staff. Without a sound, the Jaffa dropped dead at his goddess' feet. Not sparing the man a single glance Qetesh stepped over him, her eyes flashing gold at the many rifles, guns and staffs pointed at her.

"I have come to negotiate," she said, brushing a hand over her black velvet dress. The jewelry of her hand ribbon device glittered in the torch lights closest to the rings. "Don't shoot." With a knowing little smile she added. "I know you care about the host. She'll be lost to you if you kill me."

"Don't fire," Sam shouted and Daniel let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding until now. He didn't want Vala to die. And he knew neither did Sam or Cam. But how did Qetesh know they cared about Vala? The only guess Daniel could make was that Kinsey had told her about the alternate timeline. He'd have had clearance for all the files regarding the attack and its preceding events, like SG-1 being interrogated once the sub had rescued them from certain Popsicle death at the arctic.

"She is mine," Adom snarled. He stepped in front of her, his staff aimed at her face. No one uttered a sound, everyone seemed to hold their breaths. But the weapons didn't waver.

Qetesh let out a distorted snort of laughter. "I am no one's property. Certainly not yours." She looked at the ambitious young man as if he was an interesting insect. But suddenly her features changed and she smiled. "Adom, my sweet. Let's not dwell. I have come to offer you a place at my side in my new empire. We can't change the past. Let's talk about the future."

"Ba'al did exactly that. He changed the past. And the future," Adom spat. "He found a way to rise to absolute power. You took that away from us. You were his queen. You had no right to deceive him!"

"Oh, please! He forced me to stay at his side. I was his prisoner. I had every right to kill him – he should have been more watchful. He paid a high price for feeling so secure in his power over me." Qetesh pursed her black painted lips and peered at the ending of the staff still aimed at her. "Do not be foolish," she said icily.

"You are defeated," Adom said equally as coldly. "There will be no empire."

"Nonsense." Qetesh raised a small hand to take in the assembled people. "What is one world compared to the universe?" She smiled again, haughtily. "Ba'al has taught us well about humans. They live the concept of mercy, graciousness. This one..." And she pointed at Daniel, who stood close to Adom. "I have heard Ba'al talking about you. And Kinsey showed me images of you. You are Daniel Jackson. The compassionate one. You were friends with my host in your timeline. Maybe even more? She has a very attractive body, I may say. It has given me lots of advantages over the years. Ba'al had a special weakness for it. Tell me – will you let me leave if I disclaim this world as my own?"

"Ah, that would be – no," Daniel said. "And, by the way, there's no ship left for you to ring up to. So I'm afraid you won't go anywhere."

"Oh, but you are in the possession of the chaapa'ai. You will take me to it and I will bother you no more," Qetesh said sweetly. "You can take my remaining troops as slaves if it pleases you. I think you have a lot of re-building to do."

"Again, that would be no," Daniel said with a shrug. "Sorry." He had no clue what to do with Qetesh, but he wouldn't let her whisk away to create more havoc anywhere. There had to be a way to get her out of Vala. Somehow. Somewhere.

"You will not walk out of here alive," Adom hissed. "You will pay for what you did to my father."

Daniel exchanged a puzzled look with Sam. Could it be true that Adom's true motives for helping them had been... love? Or hate, depending on the way one looked at it. Daniel could not wrap his head around the picture of Ba'al as a... father. A father of this young man. Not a snake. Was Adom an Harsisis after all? But if Ba'al truly was his father, then who...

"Your father, your father! You are a clone, nothing more! You did not even turn out right," Qetesh sneered. "Ba'al was less than pleased with your outcome. He is not your father, he created you. And he failed. You turned out to be a child. You do not even carry one of us." She shook her head. "He tried to implant one into you, but your body rejected it. Why he kept you alive is beyond me."

"He was my father," Adom said stone faced. "He taught me everything. He knew he could not trust you – his own queen. But me, his son, he trusted."

Apparently bored with the conversation, Qetesh threw back her shiny mane of black hair. "Whatever. He spent way too much time with you anyway, as if you were some priceless pet."

The outpost began to tremble, small chunks of stone rained down on them. Adom stepped closer to the woman he hated so much, the tip of his staff only inches away from her forehead. "Die," he whispered. "I will kill you in the name of Ba'al."

"Don't!" It was Cam, who threw himself at Adom just as he fired. The staff was knocked aside and upwards, the blast hitting the ceiling. Cam and Adom went down in a heap of arms and legs. Cam tried to pin Ba'al's clone.. son.. whatever... to the ground, but Adom let go of the staff and landed a fist on Cam's jaw. "Shol'va!" he yelled, outraged. "You will not stop me!"

"Killing her won't bring him back!" Cam panted as he wrestled Adom down.

"It will give me satisfaction," Adom hissed with menace. "And it will be justice!"

"Justice! For killing B... OW!" Adom had managed to kick him in the stomach and Cam went slithering across the floor. His head collided with a metal post. He shook his head to clear it and sat up slowly. "Son of a bitch..." A thin trickle of blood ran from his nose.

Two of Kapour's men threw themselves on Adom just as he reached for his staff. Together they managed to restrain him. They pulled him to his feet and struggled to keep him in place.

"We need a zat," Sam snapped. She was aimed with a P90 and a knife, but someone standing close to her handed her the Jaffa stun weapon. Without hesitation she zatted Adom once. As Ba'al's clone started to collapse and tremble, one of his captures pulled out restraints from his vest and bound his hands. "What do we do with him?" the other one asked Sam. He looked grim and Daniel realized how loyal these men were to Mitchell. He had trained them all those weeks, had prepared them for a situation like this. And even if Adom was Kapour's right hand – Cam was their true leader.

Sam looked at Daniel. "That's a good question," she said quietly.

"We'll take him to the ship," Daniel decided, then raised his eyebrows. "Where is Kapour, by the way?"

"Thor beamed him up," Sam said. "I saw it. I'm not sure why, but it happened shortly before the fight was over. And I agree. We should get him out of the way." She pulled a communicator stone out of her tac vest. "Thor? This is Colonel Carter. Can you beam up the three men standing next to me?"

A second later Adom and his guards were swept away.

"What about me?" Qetesh said. "You will not kill me. If you wanted that you would have let that little clone do it."

Daniel sidled up to her, one hand in his pants pocket. He wanted to see something of Vala in this Goa'uld, wanted to desperately know the woman Qetesh had possessed was still there, underneath. He knew it was possible. He had seen Sha're fight Amaunet... Vala could do it, too. She was strong. But this Vala wasn't his friend, he was a stranger to her. Yet, she was probably as irritable, annoying and persistent as his own had been...

"I want to talk to Vala," Daniel said coldly. "If she's still alive, we won't kill you."

Qetesh laughed, it was a nasty sound. "The host is alive, yes, my dear. But she's hiding in a corner of her fragile little mind. She will not come out."

"I don't believe you," Daniel challenged her.

"Too bad." She raised her hand, but Daniel seized her wrist and twisted it. Sam quickly pulled the ribbon device off her. Qetesh's dark eyes shot daggers at her. "You will pay for this!"

"I don't think so," Sam said smoothly. "Think about what Daniel said. Let us speak to Vala and we might consider not killing you. Otherwise we don't have much use for you, I'm afraid."

"What do you want with her?" Qetesh snarled. "She's worthless!"

"No. It's you who's worthless." Muttering, the crowed parted to let Jack pass through. He looked tired and old, but he was talking and walking. No stasis chamber. He was holding up his P90 and stopped in front of the Goa'uld. "I have no relationship with your host. I don't care if you live or die. But I'll tell you – if you don't let them talk to Vala, you'll die for sure. Here and now."

"And _you_ are?" Qetesh asked. But her eyes darted from Sam to Jack nervously.

"Your worst nightmare," Jack said. "And I won't give you any speeches about justice. Make a choice." He raised his weapon. "I'm tired, cold and sick of you and your weird bullshit. I'm going to retire -the sooner the better. So?"

"Well, if you think that impressive little speech has any affect on me, you are wrong, grandpa. What is it to you if I let them talk to Vala Mal Doran? First I let you talk to her, next you want me to leave her body out of free will?"

Daniel felt a nudge to his elbow and Cam murmured faintly, "Now."

They each grabbed one of Qetesh's arms and Daniel forced restraints on her before she could move.

"We won't need you to leave her body out of free will," Sam said with a nasty little smile of her own. "There's a much easier way to get you out." She reached for the communicator stone again. "Thor? Four more to transport. I'll stay and help to clean up around here. I can use the gate to go back to Alpha site when we're done here."

Daniel tightened his hand around Qetesh's arm and Cam did the same.

###

"Ba'al destroyed the hammer a long time ago. But we were engaged in battle with the replicators so there was no time to repair it, until you activated the weapon on Dakara. We can now finally return to our duties for the Asgard protected planets," Thor said when they had gathered on the bridge. Qetesh and Adom were both in separate quarters, guards at their doors. "The hammer is now functioning again and the people of Dakara can return to their villages in peace."

"That's... that's great," Daniel exclaimed.

"It is thanks to you, peace can be restored in this galaxy," Thor said and bowed his head in respect.

"Oh, we just did what we had to do," Daniel said, a grin slowly spreading across his unshaven face.

"We're kind of used to it," Cam added lightly.

"The Tau'ri will be free once more," Teal'c rumbled. "Without Qetesh, the Jaffa will have no desire to stay."

"I'm sure they'll be allowed to leave through the gate. Since there're no more ships to take them home," Daniel said. He was glad he didn't have to help Sam with the 'clean up'. There'd be lots of reporting, organizing, logistics... All he wanted was to have a minute alone with Jack to make sure he was alright, and to get Qetesh out of Vala.

"I have transported Kapour to this ship in order to keep him safe," Thor said. "If Earth decides to become one of the Asgard protected planets the high council has decided to make Kapour Earth's ambassador. From what Colonel Carter has reported when she contacted us, Kapour has accomplished much in the resistance against Qetesh."

"And he is reliable. Kinsey, not so much," Cam agreed. "What will happen next?"

"We will bring Kapour to your Alpha site so that he may talk to your superiors. As will I. There is much to discuss, but now we have reached Cimmeria," Thor announced. "I will transport you inside the labyrinth as closest to the exit as possible. You are aware of the proceedings?"

"Yes. Um... what about the Unas? Last time Jack and Teal'c used the hammer there was an Unas trying to kill them," Daniel said.

"The Unas is asleep to save its strength. It will awake once he gets aware of new arrivals. But it will not attack until you have reached the hammer."

"Your word in the Unas' ears," Jack muttered next to them. Then his face grew puzzled. "Daniel? What's an Unas?"

###

"I hope the Unas will eat you while you are still breathing and then rip your heart out," Qetesh snarled as they materialized in the dark and dingy cave. There was a slow drip, drip, drip of water trickling down craggy walls and the smell of mold and something fishy. It wasn't a place you longed to be. Especially not after just having left another underground chamber with Jaffa shooting at you. Daniel really, really didn't like caves that much. He'd had lots of bad cave experiences over the years.

"Yeah, yeah, get over it," Cam snapped back at her.

"Have you ever tried to fight against an Unas?" Qetesh asked with a scoff. "Even your Jaffa friend here is a rag doll compared to them."

"I believed the Unas were a myth," Teal'c said. "I have never seen one alive."

"It will squash you, muscles." Qetesh said, throwing back her hair. "What is this smell? It's disgusting!"

Daniel and Cam exchanged a look in the dancing light of their lamps. Vala used to call Teal'c muscles. But this Vala could not possibly know that... she couldn't have any memories of the old timeline as Ba'al apparently had made her his queen before she could have been freed of Qetesh. Daniel began to wonder why Ba'al hadn't gone as far to murder all of SG-1 when they'd still been babies. Or better yet, murder all their parents before they were even born? He rubbed his temple. Time traveling had always given him a headache.

"It is the smell of dead false gods," Teal'c said matter of factly.

A snort answered him. "The Unas will kill you all."

"Jackson here speaks Unas. Fluently, I might add. He'll talk rings around it until it'll invite us to a picnic," Cam said.

"Unas do not speak," Qetesh sniped. "They grunt and gargle."

"Quiet!" Teal'c ordered, his voice clam but urgent.

Next to the spot Thor had transported them to was a lake. Its black surface seemed as smooth as glass, no ripples, no movement. Yet, Teal'c seemed alarmed. He pointed his staff into the darkness. "Something is on the other shore," he murmured. "It has already heard us and seen our lights."

"It's the Unas," Daniel said.

"Untie me and give me a weapon," Qetesh demanded with a hiss.

"In your dreams," Cam said.

"I could be useful if you let me."

Cam gave her a push. "Just keep quiet and move on."

Teal'c motioned for them to follow him on a small path alongside the lake. Daniel tried not to think of what he was walking on as their boots crunched on what might possibly be Goa'uld bones beneath them.

The bulky shadow of the Unas loomed in a narrow pathway on the other side of the lake. It also turned out to be the way that was leading to the exit. The gleaming yellow eyes were the only part of him they could see clearly. "Taar! Wok'tah!" the Unas barked out.

"Jackson?" Cam murmured.

"Ah, Humans, marked for death," Daniel translated quietly.

"Gibberish," Qetesh sneered.

"Ta! Onac!" the Unas snarled, pointing a clawed hand at Qetesh.

"You are Goa'uld," Daniel provided.

"Ta!" The Unas stepped out of the shadows into the beams of their lights, its craggy face, covered with horn skin, tilted towards Daniel. "Speaks our language."

The last time Daniel had seen this particular Unas it had been dead after Teal'c had pushed it into the beam of the hammer. In this time line however, it was pretty much alive. With its long, wickedly-nailed finger-claws, and the prehistoric brow over-hanging the deep-set eyes it looked more like something from a Godzilla B-movie. Something with very bad make up. But Daniel wasn't fooled by its looks. He had seen Unas in fighting mode and he knew they were predators. Skilled and deadly.

"Uh, ama kaan'. Yes." Daniel pushed past Cam and Qetesh. "Te Daniel."

"Ka onac," the Unas growled. "You not carry a symbiote. Kel!"

"Why? Why am I here? Oh... we're here to escort her." Daniel gestured at Qetesh, who had wrapped her arms around her slender body, but didn't back off. Instead she threw back her hair and took a brave step towards the creature. "Do not listen to him! He may speak your... language... but he is a weakling. An underling. You and I are gods. Rulers of millions. Made to control the masses! Help me! We can rule together! The universe is big enough for both of us!"

It snarled at Qetesh, baring rows of rotten but sharp pointed teeth. "Fool! No one escapes here! But we could share them. Feast on them. Ta! Wok tah!"

"Ka. We're not marked for death. Only her symbiote is. Onac wok tah," Daniel said. "You're right. She can't offer you freedom. But maybe I can."

"Lies!" Qetesh yelled, her distorted voice carrying through the dark caves of the labyrinth.

"Te naan. Te ke aka." Unas barked out.

"What is it saying?" Teal'c asked.

"It's hungry, it has to eat. Therefore it will kill us," Daniel said. Addressing the Unas he said, "If you let us pass I'll help you."

"No one helps Unas," it snarled. "I won't let slaves help me."

"I'll help you," Daniel repeated. "Kel ka nay a'"

"My tribe!" The Unas threw back its massive head and let out a hacked sound that could have been laughing or howling. "Long gone. I am the first one. I am the last one."

"Ka," Daniel said forcefully. "You're not the last one. There are others."

"Tak," the Unas roared. "There can't be others! We were few! We were the first ones! They are gone!"

"I'm not lying," Daniel said. "You got trapped here, but if you let us pass we'll ask the Asgard to let you go. There're others. We'll find them. How do you think I learned your language if not from an Unas?"

The Unas breathed heavily, its yellow eyes boring into Daniel. "You know other Unas?"

"Yes." At least in his own timeline he had. And if Ba'al hadn't for some reason killed them all off, they should still be on their planet. Daniel doubted that Ba'al had spared any thought on the Unas at Chaka's world. They weren't relevant for the big picture, so he most likely never visited them. Most likely didn't even know of them.

The Unas stood motionless, still blocking the entryway to the exit hall. Finally he gave them a low growl and turned around. "Follow. Don't shoot. Your weapons will not kill me."

Qetesh pressed her lips together and gave them a scathing glare. "I can choose to kill this host now," she ground out. "I may die, but so will she."

"Oh no, you won't!" Cam said coldly – and zatted her once.

With a painful moan, Vala's body hit the ground. Teal'c picked her up as if she was nothing more than a Barbie doll and threw her over his broad shoulders. One after another they merged into the tight dark tunnel.

Moments later they entered a large open room lit by candles in bowls hanging from the ceiling by chains. In front of them was the hammer shaped doorway, bathed in red light. And from the other side of the exit, Jack's voice ringed out to them. "What took you so long?!" His face appeared in the narrow entryway that resembled the handle of a hammer. "Whoa!" A P90 was jerked up. "Is that an Unas?"

"Don't shoot," Daniel yelled. "It's all right. He's with us."

"You sure?! It looks... big."

"It's okay, Jack." Daniel waved at Teal'c. "Give her to Cam. We have to hurry or the effect of the zat will wear off and Qetesh's going to kill her."

As if on cue Vala's body started to convulse and tremble just as Cam took it from Teal'c. He wrapped one arm around her waist and dragged her with him to the exit. As they stumbled through it, the red light started to pulse and flash and Qetesh's final screams echoed through the cave, causing the hairs on Daniel's arms to rise. But he didn't have time to worry about Vala. A large clawed hand closed around his throat and pulled him away from the hammer room, back into the dark tunnel. Helplessly Daniel tried to tug at the massive arm belonging to the hand that was cutting his airway.

"You will not trick me," Unas growled close to his ear. "Send them away."

"Let.. ggg..." Daniel gargled through the haze of pain. He couldn't breathe.

"Unas," it hissed. "Other Unas. No na. Home planet." It loosened the grip on Daniel's throat long enough to let him gulp in a deep painful breath of air.

"Yes. No na. I promise." He was grabbed and carried back into the hammer room like a shield to protect the Unas. Jack had stepped through the hammer and joined Teal'c, both their weapons aimed at the Unas – and Daniel.

"Crap," Jack snapped.

"It's... it's okay," Daniel rasped. His throat felt though it was swollen and it hurt to talk or even breath. Unas' claws ripped painfully through the sleeves of his BDU jacket. "I need to talk to... Thor. Now."

Jack whipped out one of the communication stones from his tac vest. "I'll do the talking. What does it want?"

"Freedom," Daniel said. "All he wants is to get out of here. But he can't step through the hammer. For an Unas losing the symbiote means death. He got trapped here a long time ago. He wants to go home."

"Thor, did you catch this?" Jack asked.

The Asgard hologram appeared in front of him. "I have indeed. However, the Unas were trapped here for a reason. They tried to endanger Cimmeria."

"But all his people who got trapped in here are dead now. He's the only one left. He's no danger to Cimmeria. We could take him to the Unas home planet."

"He does carry a symbiote. The Unas on his home world do not. Therefore they are less advanced. This Unas might use his power to enslave his own kind," Thor said. "It is in his nature." After a pause and some rapid eye blinking, Thor continued. "However, we will let you go free, Unas, if that is what you wish."

Daniel was thrown through the chamber, crashing against Jack, who stumbled backwards, cursing a blue streak as they went down together. Teal'c fired his staff, but the blast hit thin air. The Unas was gone.

###

"How is she?" Daniel quietly approached the stasis tube Vala was currently in. She was asleep and looked rather peaceful. Cam placed a gentle hand on the tube's surface. "The snake died in that hammer beam. Vala's been unconscious the whole time."

"Her vital signs are strong. She will recover completely," Thor explained. "The host body needs rest. We will revive her when it is time. We must now return to your Alpha site so that I can start negotiations with your superiors and the rightful leaders of your world. But we will slow our journey down so that your friend can heal in peace." With a bow of his head the Asgard left and hurried back to the bridge.

"Where'd they beam the Unas?" Cam asked, not taking his eyes from Vala's still face.

"To an uninhabited world. Plenty to hunt and lots of vegetation. At least he can live the rest of his life in freedom." Daniel was still hoarse from the Unas' attack. He felt sore and bruised everywhere. Thor had transported them all back to the ship in one go after the Unas had been gone. He leaned heavily on the cane the Asgard had designed for him after his return. Thor had made him another offer... one Daniel had to think about when he'd be able to think straight again. Right now his mind was fogged by several layers of different pains and exhaustion.

Cam raised his eyebrows at him. "Hey, you look like shit."

"Been a long day full of crap," Daniel said with a shrug.

"Why don't you go and lie down or something. I'll..." he gestured at Vala.

"You sure? You could use some sleep, too."

"Yeah, but I have a comfy chair right here." Cam gestured at one of those Asgard chairs that were anything but comfy. He glanced at Vala again. "I just want to make sure she's all right when she wakes up," he said quietly. "I kind of... missed her."

"You must be real tired," Daniel teased mildly. But he had missed her, too.

"I wonder what she'll do. Where she'll go." Cam sunk into one of the chairs and grimaced as he shifted and squirmed around to fit into it.

"I have no idea. She'll be welcome to stay at the Alpha site, I guess. But I doubt that's what she wants to do. She could go and find her father, but I doubt she's keen on that." Daniel paused and shook his head. "This isn't our Vala. But I can imagine that her life prior to being Qetesh's hosts might have been similar to ours. Of course she's been Qetesh's host for much longer."

"Yeah." Mitchell probed the bump on his forehead and scowled. "Adom would have killed me. He was obsessed with Qetesh's death. Do you think he really did all this out of loyalty to Ba'al? I mean, he's not Goa'uld. Who in his right mind...? "

"You have to remember that Ba'al raised him. Manipulated him. Apparently there was some sort of affection. It's hard to believe, I know. But while Ba'al sure had his own agenda and plans with his clone, Adom felt loved by him. Ba'al was the only father he knew. And Ba'al's goal was absolute power. Who knows? Maybe he told Adom the same fairy tale he used to tell his Jaffa. That he'd make the universe a better place. Free Jaffa, happy people, make love not war. Just worship the right god and all will be dandy."

"Ouch," Cam said with a bitter smile.

"Speaking of Adom," Daniel said. "I need to talk to him, too." He placed a hand on Vala's tube. "Let me know when she's awake?"

"Yeah, okay." When Daniel was already on his way out the door, Cam called after him. "Be careful. Adom isn't a bad guy per se. But he's kinda... "

"Obsessed, yeah I know."

###

Adom kept his back to them. He stood stiffly, his head bowed, in the middle of his quarters. Jack leaned against the wall next to the door and Daniel had settled on a table. He didn't want to add more pain to his leg than necessary by squeezing into the Asgard chair.

"You're not a prisoner," Daniel said again. "You've been a valuable asset in freeing Earth of Qetesh. We just want to..."

He looked back over his shoulder at Jack, who shrugged. "Talk?"

"Yeah. Talk," Daniel repeated.

"You have taken away my chance of revenge," Adom spat. "There are guards at my door. And you say I am not a prisoner."

"Qetesh is dead," Jack said. "What else do you want? And the guards are only a precaution."

"She should have died by my own hands. She destroyed everything Ba'al had built, everything he had lived for. She is pure evil."

"I hate to break it to ya, kid, but Ba'al was as evil as she was," Jack said before Daniel could get a word in.

"This is not true," Adom snapped, whirling around. There was fire in his dark eyes. "Ba'al wanted equality. His goal was to restore peace where there was none. It took him years and years to build the time machine, change the timeline. Day and night he worked on his plan. He entrusted me with all his knowledge as soon as I was old enough to understand. He knew Qetesh was a danger. He kept her close to him so she was under control. Apparently it was not enough. He should have killed her. But he chose not to. I think he had feelings for her." Adom's brows wrinkled in disgust.

"Adom, whatever Ba'al did, he never did it because he wanted to help people. Or bring peace to the universe," Daniel said gently. "He doomed whole civilizations. He destroyed a whole universe to create his own. Because he wanted the power. For no other purpose. I'm sorry for your... loss. But Ba'al was not a hero."

"There have to be sacrifices for the greater good," Adom said fiercely. "People had to die in favor of the new order."

"And correct me if I'm wrong there – but it was Ba'al who attacked Earth in the first place. Not Qetesh. She just took over from him," Jack pointed out.

"Ba'al never intended to create such chaos! His plan was to negotiate with your president like civilized people. Everything would have gone over smoothly and without bloodshed. Qetesh brought chaos and violence." Adom started pacing the room. "This was not how my father had envisioned it. Not after all his careful planning."

"Yet, he was about to enslave us all," Daniel said quietly. "With or without violence... he would have taken over Earth and made us all his puppets. And you don't want to tell me he would have tolerated resistance of any kind. I knew Ba'al for many years. He wasn't the understanding merciful kind of guy. And not a negotiator – unless he knew how to twist things to his own liking."

Adom pressed his lips together into a thin line. Shaking his head he sped up his pacing. Finally he stopped and said, "My father was a ruler of worlds, Daniel. He could not allow mutiny of any kind. But he only wanted the best for those who served him. Earth would have thrived under his protection and leadership."

"Ex-cu-se me?" Jack snorted in disbelief. "Ba'al was a Goa'uld. I've never met him in person. But even I know that's bad news."

"He was different than the other system lords," Adom objected with passion. "That is why he could conquer them all. That is why he was the greatest and the most powerful one. He would have never allowed Earth to be destroyed like Qetesh did. He had allies among your government long before the attack took place."

"Who?" Daniel and Jack asked as one. Daniel felt the fog of exhaustion lift for a moment at this revelation. Then again, he should have known... he had to give Ba'al credit for one thing. He was the most intelligent system lord Daniel had ever met. The most inventive one too. He had certainly learned to think outside the box. It was exactly what had made him so powerful and so dangerous.

Adom crossed his arms over his chest and gave them a superior look that made Daniel's insides crawl. He looked so much like Ba'al now, it was disturbing on too many levels. "Why would you want to know? It is all over. Most of those allies are dead now. And some of them are worthless as they don't know the value of true loyalty. Senator Kinsey proved to be very useful in our favor. But he was a coward, a weakling. He chose to serve Qetesh rather than go into the underground."

"Kinsey?" Jack pushed off the wall and joined Daniel at his table. "I knew he's a slimy traitorous bastard! If he's been working for Ba'al he can't weasel himself out of court martial by saying he just allied with Qetesh to protect Earth from being blown to Netu!"

"Wait, wait, wait..." Daniel held up a hand. Then he addressed Adom. "Are you saying Ba'al had been on Earth before? In this timeline? To find people stupid or greedy enough to work for him?"

"Yes. Many times. His ships couldn't be detected by Earth's satellites as long as they were cloaked. Sometimes he took me with him on such occasions. He had to make sure things went exactly the way he envisioned them."

"And to keep an eye on us to also make sure we wouldn't interfere again," Daniel murmured.

"He had to be careful. He didn't want to raise any suspicion," Adom said more to himself than to Daniel. "He did not realize you would be swept into this universe from the old timeline. It was a most unfortunate thing that you were caught in the wormhole while the timeline was changed."

"On our way home. That's why we got stranded here," Daniel picked up the thought. He wished he could pace as well, he felt like walking around to clear his thoughts. But his leg wouldn't tolerate pacing right now. He was stuck to sitting on the table. "When the timeline started to change we left the Tok'ra planet and dialed home. And somehow the gate spat us out on Earth in the altered timeline. That's why we remember everything from... before."

"Ba'al was traveling back and forth in time while his clone was held at the Tok'ra planet," Adom provided readily. "The time machine allowed him to be where... whenever he wanted to."

"All right, that's giving me a friggin' headache!" Jack snapped at them. "Stop it! This time travel stuff is just... nuts."

"Jack." Daniel put a calming hand on his friend's arm. "I think we know who killed your Daniel." He could feel Jack freeze for a moment. Then he slowly turned his head to look at Daniel.

"Yeah," he said flatly. "It'd make a hell of a lot of sense."

"And Sam," Daniel processed further. "Either Ba'al or Kinsey probably killed her, too. It would have probably only been a matter of time before someone would've had gotten to you. Only then we showed up and things changed again."

"As I said -there had to be sacrifices for the cause," Adom said, impassive.

Jack's jaw twitched in suppressed anger. "I want to know the names of every single one of Ba'al's moles and stooges."

Adom clasped his hands behind his back and cocked his head. "Am I still no prisoner?"

"Are you going to give us names?" Jack asked back curtly.

"Now that Ba'al's empire will never be I see no reason to keep information from you," Adom said with a shrug. "The other system lords mean nothing to me. None of them have my father's brilliance, nor his passion. They will fight amongst each other like brainless parasites until they have destroyed each other. I have no interest to join any of them. I wish to stay with Dhiren Kapour. He was the only one I believed in once my father was killed." With that he turned away from them, signaling without doubt that the conversation was over.

Daniel and Jack just left. There was nothing more to say right now.

Out in the corridor Jack walked away from Daniel without a word and Daniel let him, aware there were some things you just couldn't talk about until you've thought about them for a while. With a heavy sigh he limped back to Vala's room to keep Cam company at her side.

###

Sleep had finally won over determination for Mitchell. He was on the floor, his BDU jacket wedged under his head as a lousy substitute for a pillow. Daniel had found a work counter to sit on. His head had lolled back against the wall and he stared bleary eyed at the dimmed lights of the ceiling.

How much longer was Vala going to be in stasis?

"Hey."

The softly spoken word made him jerk and look around bewildered until his brain caught up with his ears. He pulled off his glasses and wiped a hand across his burning eyes. "Jack," he croaked. "What're you doin' here?"

"Telling you to go to bed. And what's with him?" Jack nodded at Cam.

"He's asleep," Daniel replied.

"Oh, for crying out loud..." Jack crouched and reached out to shake Mitchell awake.

"Leave him. The Asgard bunks aren't much more comfortable." Daniel yawned and awkwardly fumbled with his glasses until long fingers took them out of his tired hands and gently placed them on his nose. Warm lips were pressed to his temple for a moment and Jack murmured, "C'mon."

"I'd rather..."

"She's fine."

"Jack..."

"Daniel..."

"You wouldn't leave if it was one of your closest friends, would you?"

He sighed and nudged him. "Make some space then."

As they sat on the counter together, Daniel tried to suppress a yawn. Jack's arm sneaked around his middle and Daniel found his head dropping on the inviting shoulder next to him. "Shouldn't do that," he said drowsily.

"I'm beyond caring about regs," Jack said. "Retired here."

"Not yet."

"Soon enough."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while and Daniel was drifting into some kind of light sleep when Jack spoke again. "I need to go back."

"Back?"

"To Earth."

Daniel tried to focus. Then he understood. "Charlie."

"Yeah." And after a pause. "Sara too. Need to know they're okay."

"Okay," Daniel said. "And there's something else we need to do."

"What's that?"

"Pick up the cat."

###

The upper part of the tube slid back as Vala regained consciousness. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, her eyes unfocused. Everyone standing around the tube held their breath as she finally blinked once, then again. She turned her head and looked at each one of them, a frown slowly appearing on her face. "It's gone," were the first hoarse words out of her mouth.

"The symbiote called Qetesh was removed from your body," Thor said. "You are now free of it."

"That's a trick. It must be." She crossed her arms over her chest. "A joke. Not funny."

"No trick," Cam said. He held out his hand. "You're you again. It's gone."

"But how... Oh!" Her slender fingers with the black painted nails closed around Cam's hand and she let him pull her into a sitting position. "There was this horrible smell and this monster... the Unas. And then there was a light."

"The hammer removed the symbiote," Thor provided. He walked to a console and checked something. "Your vital signs are very strong. You may leave the tube now."

Cam helped Vala out, but as soon as she stood on her own feet she brushed off his hand on her arm. "Asgard," she said as she wandered around the room, taking everything in. "A most formidable enemy of the Goa'uld. They really, really hate you, you know?"

"We are aware of that," Thor said. If he was human he would have shrugged.

"Where's Qetesh? Is she dead?" Vala grimaced and added. "I mean... do I need to worry she might jump me when I least expect it?"

"The symbiote is dead," Thor confirmed.

"Too bad," Vala said airily. "I could have kept her in a fish tank. So she'd know what it's like." She whirled around and a smile blossomed on her pale face. "I remember you," she said. "You're Daniel. And you're Mitchell. And you are..." She stopped in front of Jack. "Who are you? Oh, the guy who wanted to retire."

"Still do," Jack replied with a smirk.

"You should. Men your age shouldn't run around playing with guns. Unless they're Jaffa." With that she turned back to Daniel and her smile widened. "Hi, I'm Vala. But I guess you know that, darling."

"Ye-ah." Daniel took a step backwards. "Well, it seems you're... you. How do you, err, feel?"

"Oh, I feel like myself again, which is nice. What's our history? I don't remember if we met before. But that sleaze-ball Kinsey, he talked a lot about you." She wrinkled her nose. "I never met anyone more hideous. Even Qetesh was disgusted. Well, she was disgusted with almost everyone but herself to be frank. But I'm curious." And she swept in on Daniel and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He talked about alternate timelines and you being the driving force of what brought evil to Earth in the first place by opening the Stargate... that's what you call it, right? He was blabbing quite a lot. It was exhausting."

"We were friends. In that... that other timeline," Daniel said, trying not to laugh. This was Vala, all right. And she still managed to keep him off balance. Even after all this time of getting used to it.

She pouted. "Just friends? Really? That's sad. You're quite attractive. Well, give it time." Back was the smile. It didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes were accessing him, alert and suspicious. It was all show, Daniel realized. She didn't know him and despite the fact they had saved her she didn't trust them. It was no surprise. The Vala he had known always had trust issues as well. She used to betray others. She was a con artist, one of the best. He assumed this Vala had been one as well. And she expected others to do to her just as she did to them. Because for some reason Vala had never learned that there were people who weren't always looking to their own advantages. She had been rescued so there had to be a price she'd have to pay. That was how Vala Mal Doran's mind worked…or used to work. Their own Vala had learned a few things along the way since she had joined the SGC. This one had just spent over fifteen years as host of Qetesh and was probably even more disenchanted and weary.

"Just friends. Good friends, but... sorry. Nothing more." Daniel felt the urge to make her believe she didn't find him very attractive in that other timeline, but knew it wouldn't change things. Vala was Vala after all. If she was set out to get into his pants again, she wouldn't care about what her alternate-self used to think about him.

"I don't have just friends," she snapped, a first crack in the facade. "Friends are only friends if they're useful or lovers."

"Not where we come from," Cam stepped in. "You're safe now. No strings. No deals. That might be hard for you to believe, but there it is. You can relax."

She pursed her lips, considering what he said. Or pretending to. Then she moved out of Daniel's personal space and asked, "Where are you taking me?"

"To the Alpha site," Cam said.

"Oh that's where your people escaped to. Qetesh was not happy when she found the facility where the Chaapa'ai was deserted."

"Well, we didn't feel like getting out the china and inviting her to coffee," Jack said a bit irritated. "And what do you mean 'men my age'?"

"Old men. You know..." But she never got to finish her sentence as the doors to the room slid open and they all were staring into the muzzle of a zat.

"Die!" Adom hissed.

And fired.

Daniel and Cam both leaped in front of Qetesh.

As Daniel went down, hit by the zat beam, it felt like slow motion to him. He could hear himself yell, "Nooo!", but it sounded distorted and drawled out. Wide eyed he saw the world go upside down. He didn't feel his already hurt shoulder connect with the ship's floor; his body was too busy trying to ride out the pain of the zat blast. Convulsing and seizing he tried to regain control of his limbs... as another shot erupted, a blue line of energy zipping above his head.

And another one.

He couldn't move his head. Couldn't move a muscle. The paralyzing stun shot had hit him full force. Out of the corner of his eye he saw shadowy figures moving around him as though they were dancing. His vision doubled and he saw three or four rows of blue lines crossing the space above him, flicker before his eyes, twinkling before they died and he was finally engulfed in merciful darkness.

###

And just like that he was back again.

He jerked his hands to his head, groaning. "I hate those things... damn... fucking... ow... crap."

"Easy. Don't move your…Dammit Daniel!"

Daniel brushed Jack's restraining hands off and sat up. "It's okay. I'm fine. The stun beam of the zat doesn't have any real effect. Just hurts like a bitch."

"You don't look fine to me," Jack snapped.

"'s like having the worst hangover," Daniel groaned. "What the hell happened? Where's Vala?"

"She's all right. Cam took her to his quarters."

"Adom?"

"Dead."

"Where did he get that zat from?" Daniel asked angrily.

"He managed to talk his guards into coming inside and disarmed them. Then he stunned them both and... " Jack shrugged. "Teal'c saw him wandering the ship and followed him. He shot him. Well, actually it was T and Cam who shot him. Back and front. Doesn't look pretty." Jack helped him stand and picked up his cane. "You okay?"

Daniel gripped the cane hard and concentrated on just staying on his leg. The J-leg hadn't moved out of place this time which he was grateful for. When he looked at Jack he noticed a nasty bloody scratch on his right cheek. "What happened to you?"

"Your lovely Vala tried to rip my eyes out when I tried to keep her on the floor and out of the zat's way. She screamed like a banshee, something about finishing the spawn of the devil off for good. I think I lost part of my hearing."

"Ouch," Daniel said, suppressing a grin. "Poor you."

"Who cares. You heard her. I'm old and battered. Can you walk? We're in orbit around the Alpha site and Thor's ready to beam us down."

"Let's go. I can't wait to find a shower and a bed."

"Yeahsureyabetcha."

###

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for a while?" Daniel asked. He knew there was no point in repeating this question all over again. They had been through this quite a lot over the last month.

"Darling, I know you love me. But no, I have things to do, places to be, people to meet." She gave him a flirty bat of her eyelashes. "But who knows? I might be back one day."

"Take care of yourself. And don't get into... no, strike that. You'll get into trouble first chance you have. You're just like Sunshine here that way. Only he doesn't do it on purpose most of the time. Whereas you... " Cam grinned and shook his head. "Just don't let yourself get snaked again. And Vala? You're always welcome here."

"You're amazing people," Vala said, shaking her head. "I've been waiting for you to make me pay for my rescue ever since we arrived here. But you really just let me go... you don't charge." She let out a little chuckle. "I say you're really stupid. But I like you guys anyway."

"All you offered were making us partners in some dubious business ideas," Daniel pointed out.

"Ah, but darling, my business ideas are usually very clever. And with all the knowledge of Qetesh..."

"Don't!" Daniel raised his hands. "I really don't want to know what you'll be up to. Just... be careful, okay? And visit."

"I might," she purred. "I might."

"We mean it," Cam said. "Keep in touch. Don't be a stranger, okay?" He hugged her and when he let go Daniel was sure he saw something wet in Vala's eyes. Then he was pulled into her arms and had to laugh as she whispered into his ear, "Don't let the old man out of sight. I've never seen someone as smitten as he is for you. He tries so hard not to show it, but trust me... he's head over heels."

"Don't worry. I'll keep him." And he intended to do just that.

Daniel and Mitchell watched her silently as she gave them a playful wave and gracefully walked up the ramp. Before she stepped into the vortex, she turned and gave them a brilliant smile. "Yes. I think I'll be back one day. Until then – be good." With that she was gone.

"So," Cam said after a moment.

"So." Daniel echoed.

"She'll be back, right?"

"Oh, you know her. She will."

"I mean... to torture us. She'll probably be back with these wrist bands she hooked you on. Or something."

"Or something," Daniel said with a melancholic smile.

"Why did we tell her to visit? Why?" Cam rolled his eyes as they left the gate room.

"Because we love her and we'll miss her if she doesn't." Daniel said.

"Yeah. Remind me of that when she has you trudging after her through the galaxy because you can't stay apart from her due to those armbands."

"That's not gonna happen. Trick me once, trick me twice... and all that."

"That's what you say now." Cam said darkly. Then he let out a snort of laughter and clapped Daniel's back. "She'll find something to annoy us, that's for sure." And he sounded quite happy about that possibility.

They parted at the next corridor to go and pack for their return visit to Earth. There was a busy back and forth of gate traveling now: teams to support Sam and the remaining underground members to get the SGC running again. Then of course, there were the people who were trying to find family members, friends and loved ones who'd been scattered all over the country after the attack.

Hammond had personally put together a team of Special Forces and had gone to DC to arrest Kinsey. It would take time until there was enough order restored to have a trial for the good senator. So Daniel suspected Kinsey would spend quite some time behind bars even before he was court-martialed. Kapour had joined Hammond and remained in Washington for the time being. The Asgard High Council had made the underground leader the Tau'ri ambassador for the fifth race. Kapour was heartbroken about Adom's death, but in the end he had accepted his new assignment. He said the work distracted him from his grief. He appeared older now, less feverish when he talked about Earth's future. Less... obsessed. More realistic and down to earth. And he had thrown himself into work just as Daniel used to do - using it as his savior, his anchor, the center of his life. He had no family left. And the man he had seen as his prodigal son had died in an act of hatred and revenge.

Daniel hoped Kapour hadn't lost some of his enthusiasm. Earth needed a man with vision; someone who could see silver linings even in the darkest of times. Earth needed someone willing to fight, to re-build - but without dollar signs in his eyes. A man who was passionate, but not greedy. Kapour was such a man.

_Someone like I once was_, he thought as he mechanically put clothes into a bag. No, he corrected himself. He still had high hopes that Earth would recover from what Ba'al and Qetesh had done. Humanity was strong and if there was a way to survive it would. But Daniel was tired of fighting. Tired of losing friends and lovers. Tired of struggling and trying to stay alive – and keeping his friends alive. Was he egoistical? After all these years of having to put his work first, to make saving the world – or any other world for that matter – his highest priority? The needs of the many... yes, he still believed there were things more important than a man's own personal happiness. Goals much higher in value than his own life. But SG-1 had carried the higher goals of the universe on their shoulders long enough. Didn't he have at last a right to settle down and have a LIFE?

Didn't Jack have a right to do the very same?

The opening of the door pulled him out of his dark musings. Jack strode in, jerking irritably at the collar of his dress blues jacket. "They didn't think of bringing in enough toilet paper to last the next ten years. But they had to rescue dress blues from Qetesh! Someone needs to teach those people priorities!"

"I'm sure they'll solve the toilet paper issue too," Daniel said, grinning against his will.

"You ready to go? I packed my bag this morning. We're scheduled to move out in thirty."

"How long do you think we'll be stuck in DC, Major General Jack O'Neill?" Daniel asked, trying to sound upbeat and enthusiastic.

Before Jack had even been able to inform Hammond of his retirement plans he had found himself being promoted to Maj. Gen. And Hammond had been the one informing Jack that he would take his place as commander of the Alpha site. Jack had hedged and asked for time to think it over, but Hammond had been very persuasive. "They want me back on Earth, Jack. I'll give them a year. Maybe two. Then, if I'm still healthy enough, I'll settle down somewhere with a horse and a dog. I don't intend to keep away from retirement any longer than I absolutely have to. I need you here."

And you didn't say no to your much older and wiser superior who had much more right to having a peaceful retirement...

So here they were again.

"A couple days, three maybe four," Jack said in answer to his question. He picked up his own bag, then let go of it again and stepped close to Daniel. "Look... I know you're not happy...hell, I'm not happy..."

"I'm fine. Things just never turn out the way you want them to be. It's life." He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice, with little success. God, he felt like a spoiled little brat, but he couldn't help it.

"A couple of days," Jack said. "Then we'll find Charlie. And then we'll be back... at least we'll be together. And there's always Cal Mah for the weekends when we're free. Vacations. Holidays..." He closed his lips over Daniel's and they kissed, lost in the moment for a while.

Daniel felt his disappointment slip away as Jack's tongue did wondrous things to his own. For the moment. He'd been fighting to keep a healthy perspective on this for the last few weeks ever since they knew Hammond had put a kibosh on Jack's retirement plans. It wasn't anyone's fault. Maybe in a few years...

But he had gone down this road once too often before. And it had never worked out.

Yet, such was life.

"We didn't even have a proper Christmas." Jack said as he pulled back.

"Or a New Year's Eve party." Daniel deadpanned.

"Or that candlelight dinner I keep promising you."

"Romance is dead," Daniel said with a heavy sigh. "Come on. Duty calls, Major General O'Neill."

"Stop calling me that, Doctor Jackson."

"Do you think they'll let you retire if I start sucking your tonsil's out during one of our briefings at the Pentagon?" Daniel asked as they walked down the corridor to the gate room. It was a joke. They both knew he'd never do that. He wasn't that desperate.

Yet.

"Kinky. Tell me more about it."

"Mhh, maybe later."

###

While Jack was stuck in briefings regarding the future of the Alpha site and its relations to Earth, Daniel and Dhiren Kapour – and Thor - were stuck in other briefings about the alliances with the Asgard and the Jaffa. Sometimes those briefings were joint and at one point Sam and Cam arrived as well. On their last day in DC Teal'c and Bra'tac became involved regarding the more detailed points of the Tau'ri – Jaffa alliance.

"I wonder if there's any point or detail we haven't discussed to death or voted on at least a dozen times," Cam whined as they all met for drinks in a make-shift bar on the basement level of the building where the meetings took place. It used to be a side wing of the Pentagon. Now it was the Pentagon. The only useable section that was left and had electricity and running water again.

"My head is going to explode," Sam agreed. She looked tired and had lost weight. Daniel assumed she had worked day and night ever since they had left Earth after the battle of the ancient outpost in Antarctica. "But isn't it ironical that they want to keep the new SGC at Cheyenne Mountain now? It's like the universe wants to restore itself with all its might."

"It makes sense. The mountain wasn't destroyed, it has power and – thanks to you and Mitchell - a gate," Jack said. "Why go back to all that ice? It was damn cold out there." He raised his bottle of beer. "By the way – congratulations!"

They clinked bottles with a flushed looking Sam and a happily grinning Mitchell. Daniel sipped from his beer and asked, "So when do you two get officially promoted then?"

"Well, I don't. Not really, anyway," Cam said. "They put me back on official duty in the rank of colonel. My counterpart was a captain." He made a vague gesture with his bottle. "They told me he probably died in the Qetesh attack. I don't know what's gonna happen should he suddenly show up. But we'll be working at the mountain and it's all very classified and top secret even though people know about aliens and Goa'uld now... I don't think I'll ever meet him."

"And I never joined the military. I was an astrophysicist. I worked for the military, but as a civilian. They gave me the mountain, but they didn't officially give me back my rank. I don't even know how they're going to explain away that I used to be dead and am now back. But I guess right now that's not an issue anyway," Sam added. "And as Cam said, we'll be holed up at the mountain most of the time anyway."

"Sooo... a civilian takes over the SGC. That's a good one," Daniel said, thinking of Doctor Elisabeth Weir and Atlantis. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe the universe tried to restore itself... as good as it could.

"They say it's a good diplomatic move to keep people from saying the military wants to take over everything," Cam said. "And they're right. Of course I'll be there to make sure the new civilian commander won't make any rushed and outrageous decisions." He got elbowed into the ribs by Sam for that, but she laughed.

"Yep, just as Doctor Jackson here will be there at the Alpha site with me to make sure I don't blow things up or make any stupid military decisions," Jack said dryly.

"Well, it's what I do," Daniel said into the following laughter. It was official now. He had agreed to be Jack's Civilian Consultant at the Alpha site when it was clear Jack wouldn't retire anytime soon. He hadn't liked it, still wasn't sure he did. But it was better than nothing.

Sam sobered and looked thoughtfully at her bottle. "There are going to be lots of changes," she said. "I wonder if those people who had always feared a new world order... or welcomed it, depending on what group of people you'd ask... imagined something like this going to happen."

"I don't know how much is gonna change in the long run," Cam said. "In a couple of years, maybe a generation or two, we'll know, if we'll take this crisis as a new chance to… I don't know... make certain things better. Governments will always be governments, I guess. There's a lot of rebuilding to do, that might force countries to work together. So who knows, maybe we've learned to value peace on our own planet at least."

"Especially knowing there's a real threat out there," Sam said. "On the other hand, we might have even more wars on our hands soon. Wars for land, oil, religions... the same old, only with new leaders. Rebuilding needs money and resources."

"I think Kapour is a good man," Jack said. "And believe me – it took me a while to figure that out. With the right lobby behind him, he might make people listen and change their ways. Maybe. Maybe not. It's all a matter of time."

At that precise moment Teal'c and Bra'tac joined them and the philosophic discussion came to an end when the two Jaffa discussed drinking choices with Jack and finally settled for beer. Sam and Daniel tried to object, saying they never really found out if alcohol was bad for larva symbiotes, but it turned out that neither Teal'c nor Bra'tac liked beer. They switched to water, saying they have never tried something as distasteful as beer.

"Our Teal'c used to drink cranberry juice a lot," Daniel offered. "Of course I doubt there's any cranberry juice right now."

"I will try this juice when it is available again," Teal'c said. "I still want to learn about your ways, DanielJackson. When it is possible again to travel on your world, will you show it to me?"

"Sure. I'll be happy to. There's a lot to show you. Well, depending on what's left… but I'm sure we'll find places to go."

"Ya think Monument Valley's still there?" Jack asked

"Monument Valley?" Daniel raised his eyebrow. "Teal'c needs to see Egypt, Jack. I hope the pyramids are still there. It's living history. It's where Earth's rebellion against Ra took place."

"Of course it is," Jack said. "What was I thinking?"

"I wish to see both those places," Teal'c said with a smile in his eyes.

"Egypt, Monument Valley! You gotta see Kansas."

Jack stared. "What's in Kansas, Mitchell? Aside from Dorothy's house?"

"Well, I'm from Kansas. It's nice there."

"Teal'c needs to see the ocean," Sam said. "We'll take him to the West Coast. It's beautiful there."

"I want to see the ocean as well," Teal'c said and Bra'tac laughed.

"You will spend the rest of your life traveling the Tau'ri planet."

"One day," Teal'c said. "I will bring my family to this planet so they can see the pyramids and the ocean. And Kansas."

###

First, however, it was just Jack and Daniel doing the traveling. The view from the black USAF helicopter gave them an inkling of how Earth looked now. Ragged and burnt in many places, dead cities only mere ruins, and no people left living there. Blackened charred farmland, destroyed villages. In other regions small communities seemed to have exploded across the landscape. Small, dirty self-built barracks stood like ugly tumors grown on formerly clean and picturesque towns. Some were larger complexes with high chain link fences. Daniel assumed those were the camps the Jaffa had herded people in to keep them under control. Ghettos. He didn't want to think too closely about the people who had to live there – and would continue to live there until they could go home. He wondered about families who had been separated, about those who had lost their homes and jobs due to the destruction, wondered about electricity out here. In the big cities the power was mostly back, but lots of the overhead power lines had been cut or simply blown away, so many of the smaller towns were still without power.

There was a silver band ahead of them, glistening in the winter sun; The Pacific Ocean. Jack described a wide curve and there it was. The beach was empty except for several car wrecks that had probably been blasted off the 101 Highway under one of the attacks, or fleeing people had lost control over their cars as they tried to get away from something there was no escape from - No one would ever know. The wrecks were all burnt out and as Jack let the helicopter descend, Daniel saw birds sitting on the car frames. They would probably nest there during spring if no one came out to remove them.

The lower they went, the more details they discovered.

There was a lot of trash widespread across the beach. No one took care of it anymore. It would take a while until waste disposal worked again.

With a gentle thud Jack landed the helicopter on the sand and when the loud noise of the motor had died, they could hear the seagulls screeching and the waves rolling in. Other than that, a ghostly stillness seemed to cover everything.

Jack helped Daniel out of the chopper and they stood on the beach, wind tousling their hair. Daniel gazed at the highway, way up the bluff. No movement there either.

"Are we in Malibu?" he asked.

"According to the map we are," Jack replied quietly. "C'mon. There's a way up."

"Steps," Daniel sighed. "Are you aware how many stairs we have to walk up and down every day? Get a leg prosthesis and you'll realize."

"Stop whining," Jack ordered, but his eyes grew soft and worried as he looked at him, an unasked question in them.

"I'm just saying," Daniel sniped as they slowly crossed the beach.

"You've been through the wringer more than anyone I know over the last few weeks and you're going to bitch about some _steps_?"

The steps turned out to be large flat stones, easy to walk up. Daniel rolled his eyes anyway. "There has to be _something_ I can bitch about."

Jack snorted.

When they were standing on the sidewalk of the 101 Highway, they turned and watched their lonely chopper sitting like a giant black seagull on the beach. Jack had arranged a car to pick them up, so all they had to do was wait for it.

"Did you think about Thor's offer," Jack asked out of the blue as they were gazing at the waves with their white caps. The ocean looked gray in the fleeing sunlight. So did the sky. It would be dark in less than an hour.

"I did," Daniel said, leaning against the weather beaten wooden banister. "I'm still thinking about it."

"What's to think about? He's offering you a new leg - a real one. No bitching about steps anymore."

"It's a cloned leg," Daniel said with a scowl. Not that it mattered.

"And? So? Therefore? It'll still grow back like it was your own."

Daniel didn't reply. He pulled in his lower lip, tasting the salt on it. Thor had offered him the possibility of a new leg on their way back to the Alpha site. It would probably take a while and be extremely painful, but it'd mean Daniel would be able to walk on two healthy legs again. He didn't really understand himself why he hadn't jumped at the opportunity. Maybe he felt like the Daniel with two legs belonged to the old timeline. And he had been stranded here now, had mastered every step of the way with just one leg. He was Daniel with the J-leg now. The other Daniel, the "whole" Daniel – he seemed strangely unreal to him now.

And none of it made any sense whatsoever.

"Don't worry," Jack said out of the blue, his eyes still fixed on the ocean. "I'll still love you when you have two legs. After all, it's your ass I'm after."

Daniel let out a genuine laugh and elbowed his lover hard. "You son of a..." But the words died on his lips as he realized what Jack had just said.

"You do?" Daniel asked quietly, almost unheard over the wind.

"What?"

"Well, you know... the L word."

"Ah." Jack pursed his lips and squinted into the gray dull winter day. "Yeah."

"Wow. That's... wow." Daniel frantically thought of something more to say. Something meaningful. Jack loved him. And he had loved his Jack and was now... with this Jack. But could he say for sure it was this Jack he loved? _This_ one. Not the familiar shadow of his own Jack... his... first... Jack? And what about Jack? Did he love him – Daniel from the other timeline – or was this just an echo of his suppressed feelings for this timeline's Daniel?

They both couldn't have back what they had lost. They had sought comfort, friendship and yes... sex... in each other. They had found all of that, and maybe more. There were feelings involved on both sides, Daniel knew that. The question was not IF there was love between them, the question was – …

A loud honk made him jump and a moment later a muddy green army jeep came to a halt next to them. "Jack! It's good to see you again. Doctor Jackson, right?"

"Harry! What are you doing here?"

"I was transferred from Area 51 to build a camp for the homeless and those who are trying to get in contact with relatives." When Jack and Daniel climbed into the jeep he added. "Well, I actually asked for it. It's the best way to help get things back on track. And it's better than sitting around on base and waiting for orders."

"Good man," Jack said with a grin.

"Why're you here?" Harry asked as they rode down the deserted highway.

"Family stuff," Jack said, the smile gone.

"You have someone at the camp? What's their name?"

"Charles O'Neill."

Maybourne frowned, thinking hard. Then another smile spread out over his beardy face. "Charlie? Charlie O'Neill? Holy crap … he's your kid, right? I should've known. Yeah, he's there."

Daniel watched the quick display of hope crossing Jack's face. "How is he?"

"Oh, he's all right. He helped to build camp. Was one of the first who came out of hiding when we arrived. Now he's working at the office tent, helping with the lists of missing people."

Jack closed his eyes briefly and only Daniel could see his lips moving in a silent 'Thank God' or something alike. Relief washed over him, too. Their intel on Charlie O'Neill's whereabouts had been vague – he had been listed in this camp weeks ago, but until know they didn't have one hundred percent confirmation it was really him. Daniel thought it comforting that with all that had gone wrong in this time line, Jack at least still had his kid.

They left the Highway and followed a road leading them into the mountains. Destroyed or deserted homes presented a depressing – if not new - sight. A wild dog searched for something edible in a garbage can that lay toppled over in a driveway. When the jeep passed by the animal ducked and scooted off into the shadow of the house. The sight reminded Daniel of what he'd seen in Denver, minus the snow. What must have been formerly groomed and trimmed gardens were now overgrown with weeds and yellow dry grass.

Keeping up the facade of civilization took a lot of maintenance.

Soon the jeep left the houses behind and rumbled up a steep stony road until they had reached the top of a hill. From there road sloped down into a valley. With screeching brakes the jeep stopped at the gate of a chain-link fence and Maybourne barked something into his radio. Moments later two armed airmen came running from a small hut and opened the gate to let them through.

The camp was packed with rows and rows of large army tents. And here, finally, it wasn't quiet and Daniel welcomed the familiar noises of people talking, kids running around chasing after one another, men and women sitting or standing in front of the tents. Some were washing clothes in large buckets, others were just talking and smoking. It smelled like someone was cooking and he spotted a hospital tent and a meal tent and another one that had a sign pinned to a pole, saying "Office Tent".

"It's not exactly the Ritz," Maybourne said when he had parked the jeep in front of the office tent. "But people feel safe here. We have food and generators so we even have light in some of the tents. There's a doctor and two nurses and we have enough field beds and blankets for now."

Jack didn't say a word, he just left the jeep and stood motionless in front of the office tent.

By the time Daniel and Maybourne had joined him, a visible twitch ran through his body. He pushed away the tent flap and walked in. Maybourne was called away by a group of soldiers that moment and so Daniel followed Jack into the tent alone.

Three women, two of them wearing BDUs, and two men were sitting at a row of tables, doing paperwork. Daniel assumed they were going through lists with names of people who were missing or who were looking for relatives. There was one computer in a corner, the USAF logo blinking on the screen. Jack eyed them all, then cleared his throat and said, "I'm looking for Charles O'Neill."

One of the women, a young Asian girl, looked up and gave them a warm smile. "Charlie? He's over at the medical tent. You should find him there."

Jack gave her a nod of thanks and they left. In silence they crossed the dusty wide path between the tents and found their way through them until they saw the Red Cross sign ahead of them. Inside it was warm and smelled of antiseptics and sickness. A tired looking nurse nodded a greeting as they entered. Daniel saw rows of bed curtains: some were closed, others pulled open. Most beds were occupied. Somewhere a woman, clearly in pain, sobbed and moaned. Daniel couldn't see her, so he assumed she was behind one of the closed curtains.

"What can I do for you, sir?" the nurse asked when Jack just looked at the patients who were not hidden behind curtains.

The invisible woman let out a high pitched scream, making Daniel wince in sympathy.

"I'm looking for Charlie," Jack said quietly.

Instantly the nurse's face brightened. "Oh! This might not be a good time... but if you'll wait here or come back later..."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong, but the baby's just coming. You could wait, but it might take a while, yet. And he won't leave Joanna's side."

As if on cue the woman screamed again, a mangled curse this time. Now Daniel heard hushed voices answering her.

"Baby?" Jack asked, flummoxed.

"Baby?" Daniel echoed.

"Yes, baby. If you excuse me, I think I may be needed over there. If you want to wait, sit down." She rushed off, then stopped and turned to take a closer look at them. "Are you friends of Charlie? I'll let him know you're here."

"Well, I think I'm the grandpa of that … baby," Jack said flatly.

"Oh!" With that the woman hurried down the tent and slipped behind a curtain.

Jack sat heavily on one of the chairs close to the entrance. "Daniel?"

"Yes – grandpa?"

"Ah, shut up."

###

Daniel wasn't sure how long they had been sitting on those chairs, staring at the tent wall or at each other with raised eyebrows – and with nervous little glances at the curtains where the moaning, cursing and sobbing was coming from. Could have been an hour, could have been only twenty minutes, maybe less... Daniel had no clue. He was as tense as Jack seemed to be next to him.

"They're married," Jack suddenly blurted out.

"They are?"

"Yeah. Sara and I weren't happy, but Charlie insisted on marrying Joanna. They had known each other only a couple of months. And they had just started college." Jack rubbed a hand across his face. "They spent every minute together. Was kinda cute."

"Is that why you didn't see each other anymore? Because he married against your will?"

"No," Jack said curtly, staring at his boots.

"Okay."

"We were..."

"Dad?" The young man standing in the middle aisle of the tent looked so much like Jack, it rendered Daniel speechless for the moment.

A much younger version of Jack, but there it was. His hair was dark blond and hanging down to his shoulders, but he had the same deep brown eyes and the same angular face with the strong jaw and aristocratic nose. Even the way he stood there, a lean tall guy in jeans and an old faded black AC/DC t-shirt, he reminded Daniel of Jack.

Brushing strands of sweat soaked hair out of his face, Charlie O'Neill took another step, then stopped again, his eyes growing wide. "Daniel! Oh man, that's a surprise!"

"Um, hi, Charlie," Daniel said, feeling very awkward.

Jack covered his eyes with one hand for a second, muttered, "Crap," and rose from his chair.

Father and son stood there for a moment, facing each other. Charlie shoved both hands into the pockets of his jeans, cocked his head and gave his dad a one shoulder shrug. "Hey."

"Hey," Jack echoed.

"How'd you find me? I mean... of course you found me through the military. I guess... I..." Charlie's hands came out of his pockets and he brushed them both through his shaggy hair. "I tried to find you, too, but they said you weren't stationed anywhere. They couldn't find... I thought you were... shit." Hands falling to his sides, Jack's son just stood there, staring at his father.

Jack took three long steps, grabbed his kid and pulling him into a bear hug. "I'm here," he murmured. "Gawd, Charlie... I'm sorry it took me so long."

"'s okay. You made it. Just in time to meet your grandkid," Charlie said in a strangled voice. "When it's finally here."

And just at that moment the nurse poked her head through the curtains. "Charlie? I think it's coming!"

###

"Isn't she perfect? Isn't she just..." Charlie brushed a trembling finger over his tiny baby girl's temple.

"Perfect, yes." Jack breathed.

"She's beautiful," Daniel whispered. "What's her name?"

"We want to name her Sara," Joanna said, her voice still a bit raspy. She was a small young woman, but with impressive green eyes and thick curly dark hair. "But we're looking for a middle name. My mom's name is Agatha and..." She blushed and shrugged. "Let's just say I don't want her to be an Agatha."

"Cassandra," Daniel said without thinking.

"Sara Cassandra O'Neill," Charlie repeated with a dopey smile. "What do you think, Jo?"

"I like it." The young woman started to rock the baby gently. "Do you want to be a Sara Cassandra?" The baby didn't care one way or another. She'd been fed and was now gazing at them with heavy lidded eyes, her chubby tiny face rosy and relaxed. A dark tuft of hair covered her head. Smacking her lips, Baby Sara fell asleep in her mother's arm, not fazed by anything going on around her.

"She's the first baby born here since Qetesh left," Charlie said. "They keep saying it's an omen. A good one." He chuckled. "I bet a lot of other babies are born this day all over the world. But she's our camp baby."

"I really don't want to break this up, but Joanna needs sleep. We don't know how long the baby will let her rest, so she better takes as much sleep as she can until the little one is hungry again," the nurse from before said as she pulled away the curtains around the bed. "And the doctor wants to take a look at both of them again later."

"They're all right though?" Charlie asked, worry lacing his voice.

"They're both fine, it's normal procedure. Now, if you please..." She waited until they had all left, then pulled the curtains close and ushered them out of the tent with gesturing hands and a stern look that reminded Daniel of Janet.

Charlie led them through the tent city, but it took them a while to reach his tent. Men and women stopped them to congratulate Charlie for his baby girl. He was asked when Joanna would be released and if they could come and take a look at Baby Sara. Everyone seemed happy and wanted to welcome the new baby on Earth. Maybe she wasn't the first born baby of Earth, but she was the first new born baby in this camp in this new era.

Finally after much handshaking and shoulder clapping they reached a smaller tent with only four field beds in it. On three small tables was a mishmash of bags, clothes and other personal things of the tent's occupants. Next to one of the field beds there was a small crib with a nest of blue linen. A yellow plush duck sat on the tiny blue pillow.

"They gave this tent to us when Joanna was getting close to labor. There's a heater in here and it's quieter than in the big tents. Only one other couple lived here with us, but they left a few days ago to go home again." He followed Daniel's eyes and smiled. "The crib was a gift from mom. The soldiers who picked us up allowed us to take it when they saw Jo was pregnant. At least our baby will have a decent bed."

They settled on the beds; Jack next to his son, Daniel on the other one. "Will you go home once Joanna is fit for it?" Daniel asked.

Charlie nodded. "We don't live far from here so we can still come to work. We mainly came here because Joanna was pregnant, and because we wanted to help others. This way we were close to doctors if we needed them and we could do something good." He gestured at the limited space in the tent. "This is all some people have left. Jaffa troops passed through the city, randomly destroying houses with those long energy weapons. I don't know how much of LA still stands, but they created havoc in Malibu and Santa Barbara. I've heard there are many other camps like this in the LA area and they're still trying to find people. It's a mess."

"Yeah, it's bad," Jack agreed. "Will you be okay staying at your house? You need stuff for the baby and all that."

"They keep saying they want to restore normal life as soon as possible. And Colonel Maybourne promised to lend me one of their jeeps so we can go home. They already organized diapers and clothes for Sara. I guess they emptied a store or something. Have no idea where everything came from. But Maybourne says there'll be shops open again soon. As soon as there's enough power again. Same goes for gas stations."

Daniel and Jack exchanged a look, remembering their own 'shopping tour'. Daniel guessed the military had a more official and legal way to raid warehouses and malls though.

"Did you hear from your mom?" Jack asked.

"No. I put her on the missing list along with you." A shadow fell over the young man's face. But then he smiled. "I expected her to find us. I really didn't expect you, dad. I figured the military must know where you are. When there was no trace of you, I really thought you were... gone." Then he turned to Daniel and his smile widened. "And Daniel... how did you find him? Or did you two finally...?" His brown eyes darted back to his dad and he blushed. "I'm sorry. I know you said not to bring this up ever again. But seeing the two of you together here makes me think..."

Daniel raised his eyebrows at Jack, who grimaced in return.

Charlie looked expectantly from Jack to Daniel and back.

"It's a long story," Jack muttered finally. "Daniel and I work together now."

"Daniel? You work for the fucking military?" Charlie exclaimed with a loud snort. "You're kidding me! You can't! You hate the military!"

"Uhh, times change. They wanted me to figure something out for them and it was important enough to get over my, um, issues," Daniel said vaguely. "Your dad recruited me, sort of."

"So now you're living the lie too. Great." Charlie said, bitterness in his voice.

"Charlie!" Jack snapped. "He's still a Civilian. Right now no one cares about genders anyway."

O'Neill junior gave them an impish look. "Sorry, Daniel. I keep forgetting that I used to hate the military, too. Now I'm working with them anyway. I just never expected you to do it. You've always been so fierce about your beliefs."

"I still am. I didn't sell my soul or something. I just changed my views here and there. Not all of them," Daniel explained, wondering how deep his counterpart's hate for the military had gone. He hadn't been a big fan of it either before he went to work with the Stargate program. He still had his doubts from time to time about the military's methods – but he had learned to find his way around it and he had made his peace with being part of it… Most of the time.

"Yeah," Charlie said. "Same here. It's not all bad." He peered at his dad from under his eyelashes. "Maybe they'll change the rules. Someone just has to stand up for it. Don't ask, don't tell belongs to the past. Or so it should."

Jack sighed like a father who'd been around the same damn subject with his kid a hundred times before. "Charlie... Let's not start this again."

"What? Or you're gonna leave again?" There was defiance in the kid's voice.

"No," Jack said. "But there's no point."

"But Daniel and you should be together! It's what you both wanted... back then. Mom knew it, I knew it... the only one who kept denying it was you," Charlie said forcefully. "And you couldn't stand me telling you a few truths, so you left."

Daniel tried to piece the puzzle together from the conversation. "Wait a minute... You got divorced and left your family because of me?"

"No," both O'Neill's said together.

After a moment of silence, Jack threw up his hands and let out a frustrated huff of air. "Fine! I was wrong, you were right. You happy now?" To Daniel he said, "Sara and I had been divorced for a year or so. We still saw each other regularly because of Charlie. Sometimes I brought Da... well, you know you went to family gatherings with me."

Daniel blinked. "Uh... yeah."

"One day … I think it was Charlie's graduation, Sara started telling me to get outta the closet and admit I wanted to be with you and when he heard that, he felt compelled to agree with her."

"Ah," Daniel said.

"It was like a rainbow flag waving into our faces. The way you two used to be together." Charlie grinned. "I was just seventeen, but even I got it."

"It was none of your business. That first of all," Jack snapped. "And I wasn't going to let my snotty know-it-all brat tell me what's good or right for me."

"And... that's why you left?" Daniel asked with a frown. He knew Jack was a pride and stubborn SOB, but...

"I couldn't risk anyone knowing," Jack said flatly.

"You could've quit," Charlie said.

"Wasn't that easy."

There was a long pause and Daniel wondered if he should leave the two of them alone to sort this out. But just as he opened his mouth to suggest he'd take a walk, Charlie said in a much more gentle way. "I know. And I realize that life isn't always the way you want it. I grew up a bit since then. But I never wanted to hurt you, dad. I wanted you to be... well, happy, I guess. With him." He gave Daniel a painful look. "I'm sorry. This must be awkward for you. I assumed you know about...?"

"Yeah," Daniel confirmed. "It's okay. I know."

"So, Charlie..." Jack cleared his throat. "Say hi to your new step dad then."

Charlie stared at them, mouth hanging open. "Whoa! For real? What happened to DADT?"

"To hell with it," Jack said with a straight face.

"Who are you and what'd you do with my dad?"

"Why don't we agree on that he's changed his perspective and be happy with that? Nothing is as it used to be on Earth. So I guess DADT has taken a backseat at least in your dad's mind. We can't sing it from the rooftops, but we're okay with that," Daniel said with a grin. But part of him still felt out of place. He'd probably never be able to tell Charlie who he really was. Even if the Stargate program would go public because of what had happened, he was pretty sure the future government would keep quiet about the altered timeline.

And that was probably for the best. But Jack would have to coach him about everything his Daniel had known about Charlie and Sara. Daniel knew he'd probably always live this lie from now on. But he could cope with that.

"Will your wife be okay with us?" Daniel asked.

"She'll be fine with it. No hang ups there," Charlie said. "It's about time anyway. How long are you two gonna stay? And where're you stationed, dad?"

Jack looked uncomfortable for a moment. He gave Daniel a questioning glance and raised an eyebrow. Daniel shifted on the bed. This was probably their only chance to tell the kid. "People know about Qetesh and spaceships and Jaffa. Washington already decided to make part of the Stargate program public... sooo..."

"Right," Jack said. "We'll tell you as much as you need to know. So you'll understand why I have to leave soon and might not be back for a while. And why I won't call or write."

"But you need to be quiet about it," Daniel threw in. "We're not sure how much we're supposed to tell. Even of the bit we can tell you." Which wouldn't involve the altered timeline.

"Okay," Charlie said. "Sounds like science fiction to me."

"Oh, yeah," Jack agreed.

And so they carefully explained things to Charlie. About the Stargate, the Alpha site, the alliances with other alien races... and that they had to go back to the Alpha site to do their job. Once they were done talking, Charlie let out a low whistle. "That's where you've been when they couldn't find you. On another planet."

"Yeah."

Charlie nodded "And you have to go back there."

"Charlie, this is important. It's meaning of life stuff." And after a pause, Jack added softly. "I had no idea you and Joanna were going to have a baby. That's what I got for staying out of your life. I wish I could stay, kid."

"Will you be able to visit once in a while? To see Sara grow up?" Charlie asked quietly.

"You bet I will. As often as I can."

"We," Daniel added. "We'll visit."

"Yeah." Jack put a hand over Daniel's, their fingers lacing.

"So... you worked for this Stargate program and when Qetesh attacked, you saved us?"

"A lot of other people were involved in the final battle," Daniel said. "It's a long twisted story and it's probably better you only know the basics."

"They might want to test him for the Ancient gene," Jack suddenly said. "And the baby might have it too."

"The _what_?" Charlie asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Your dad has an additional gene that enables him to do... things," Daniel started. "It's nothing dangerous, it kind of makes him more evolved than, uh, normal humans."

"What does it do?" Charlie asked.

"It lets you work fancy alien technology," Jack said with a shrug. "It's kinda cool."

"And this thingamajig..."

_Like father, like son_, Daniel thought amused. "Ancient gene. Only very few people on Earth have it. But since you're Jack's kid you might have inherited it."

"And my daughter? She could have it too? I'm not sure how I feel about this. Dad? Will they force us to be tested on this? And if we have it... what do they want from us? From Sara?"

"I don't know, son," Jack said with a sigh. "But I had to tell you, just in case some gray little alien will show up at your door and ask you for a DNA scan one day. Don't freak if he does. He's a great fella."

"His name is Thor," Daniel added. "He's an Asgard. But it might well be the military knocking at your door. They might ask for your help one day."

"So I should cooperate then. That's what you're saying?"

"I want you to have this," Jack said, pulling a cellphone from his pocket. "It has a number on speed dial that'll put you through to a friend of mine, Doctor Samantha Carter. She's in command of Cheyenne Mountain, where the Stargate is. If anyone shows up at your house and orders you to get tested or go with them, you call her immediately. If there's any authorized situation they need you for, she'll know. She's on your side and she'll be able to contact me and Daniel at the Alpha site."

Charlie took the small phone and stared at it for a moment, then nodded and shoved it into the pocket of his jeans. "When do you have to leave?"

"They gave us three weeks of leave. That's when General Hammond will take over his new position in DC and I have to take over at the Alpha site. Let's try to find your mother. And make the best of the time we have. Whataya say?"

"I say we need to drink on Sara's arrival. And catch up on lost times," Charlie said. "And then we need to drink to you two... Let me get some beer from the supply tent."

"You got beer?" Jack asked, eyebrows raised. "And who said you're allowed to have beer?"

"Dad, I'm twenty three. Get over it."

"Can't blame a father for trying," Jack growled. "But you'll suffer through all of it yourself now. Just wait for it."

Laughing, Charlie got up and left to get them drinks.

"It won't be easy," Jack said quietly. "Raising a child here."

"No. But your kid seems to be pretty down to earth. They'll make it." Daniel assured his lover. "He's got the O'Neill determination."

"You mean stubbornness," Jack grumbled.

"Stubbornness isn't always a bad trait."

"They could come with us. I could pull some strings," Jack said more to himself.

"But do you think they want to? This is their home, their life. Charlie works here. They need every hand they can get. And I think Baby Sara's birth gave people something to celebrate and to feel happy about."

"And they all came to see and praise the beloved and cherished baby," Jack said with a soft smile. "Maybe you're right. Their place is here."

Daniel suddenly thought it was a good thing they didn't retire after all. As long as they were on active duty, they could visit whenever they found a reason to go to Earth. And Daniel was sure there'd be lots of reasons, especially in the next few coming years.

And it was worth carrying the weight of the universe's safety on their shoulders a while longer if it meant kids like Baby Sara could grow up without the Goa'uld being a danger to Earth. Not now and not in the future.

Life wasn't a fairy tale. But sometimes it told happy stories, too.

**EPILOGUE**

**NEW ROADS TO TRAVEL**

Daniel leaned against the banister of their wooden porch, gazing out into the night, listening to the crickets. It was a lush summer night, the sky dark velvet blue, slowly turning into black. The first stars started to twinkle high above their cabin and soon the moons would appear somewhere over the lake. Behind him on a table the candles had burnt low and the remaining of their dinner waited to be put away.

Actually they should have had cleared the table hours ago, but when Jack had fed him strawberries for dessert, they soon found themselves distracted by things that were much more fun than taking care of dishes. And if they didn't take the leftovers inside soon, squirrels and the cats would have a feast. Daniel shook his head as a soft smile curled his lips. God knew where cat found a mate out here. They'd never seen another cat-like animal in the woods, but one day cat vanished from the cabin for a couple of weeks. They started looking for her and found her in a dead hollow trunk, nursing four kittens. Jack said the babies looked a bit lynx like and Daniel agreed. But a lynx would be much larger than their domestic little cat... he didn't even want to imagine how mating would have worked that way. But cat seemed healthy and content and so the little critters were part of their family now. When Jack and Daniel were at the Alpha site, Shol'na, the Jaffa, healer took the cats in and fed them.

Lazily stretching his back, Daniel smirked at his aching muscles and a low burning sensation of more private parts. He could almost still feel Jack inside him, it was the lingering feeling of being filled that he loved the most about being the one on the bottom. Of course he liked being the one on top, too. But secretly he enjoyed being fucked just a tad more. Not that he'd ever tell Jack. He was cocky enough already and didn't need any more Alpha male attitude. Then again, Jack probably knew, going by the way Daniel urged him on to go faster, deeper, harder on the top of his lungs … Daniel liked having Jack inside him, and he liked telling Jack how to do him in every way he wanted him to.

He liked to talk dirty.

And Jack liked being talked dirty to.

Jack liked Daniel to talk dirty in as many languages as possible. It was something his other Jack hadn't gotten off on. Or at least they had never tried it. But his now-Jack, he would go all cross eyed and gooey when Daniel told him to fuck him in Arabic. "Give me words," Jack would growl at him at one point. And Daniel would give him words. Lots of them. Arabic, French, Russian, German... oh yeah.

"What'cha doin' outta bed?" Two long arms wound around his middle section as Jack pressed into him from behind, still naked and warm, smelling of sex.

"Nature call," Daniel said.

"Get back in there, Danny-boy. I've got an itch to scratch."

"Again? My, granddad O'Neill. You sure are greedy and slutty for an old man," Daniel said.

"I'm on vacation. And you let me do all the work tonight and had all the fun. So... your turn now." Jack started kissing his left shoulder, then gave his neck a playful bite and started sucking on the skin. Daniel moaned softly and tilted his head to give Jack better access. "Giving me hickeys will lead to rumors," he couldn't resist teasing.

"Cover it up," Jack said and blew over the tortured patch of skin. "They look good on you though." He tightened his hold on Daniel and whispered into his ear. "Mine."

Daniel reached back and began to fondle Jack's heavy sac with one hand while he began stroking his own half erect cock with the other. "You ever thought about doing it out here?"

"Mmmmh?"

"In the grass, right out there." Daniel's breath quickened at the thought. It was dark now and the moons were looming full and bright in the sky.

"Ticks," Jack muttered and it took Daniel a confused moment to figure out what he meant.

"There's a blanket on the bench at the table," he urged, pushing his back against Jack to get him moving. "Get lube. And pillows. C'mon."

"The things I do..." Jack pulled back and, before he turned to go inside, smacked Daniel's ass hard. "I want you splayed out in the moonlight for me."

Daniel collected the blanket and spread it out on the soft ground, the smell of grass and summer adding to his anticipation. He lay down, propped up on one elbow and waited for Jack, his fisted hand sliding loosely up and down his cock.

Jack returned with two pillows under his arms and just stood in the shadows of the house for a while, watching him. When he finally joined Daniel on the blanket, his eyes were glistening with lust. "You're so fucking beautiful, Daniel," he said hoarsely.

Daniel just smiled and opened his legs wider. "You just want to watch?"

"Oh, baby, no," Jack said and knelt between his legs as he opened the lube and started to squirt some on his hands to warm it up. Then he applied it to Daniel's shaft with skilled hands. Jack had had lots of practice over the last few months. Getting together for sex on base wasn't easy, but they managed to steal a moment, an hour, sometimes a night here and there. Coming out to Cal Mah on free weekends and rare vacations... that's where they could let go and be just lovers. Their cabin was built a ways from the village and they had plenty of privacy out here. Daniel suspected most of their Jaffa friends knew about them anyway. It was a much more relaxed way of doing DADT.

Jack, done with prepping himself, bent down and they kissed deeply and hungrily for a moment, hands gripping biceps hard. Daniel came to rest on his back and Jack slowly started to slide down on his cock, inch by inch, with little movements, until he was seated on him, taking a deep shuddering breath.

_Maybe_, Daniel thought as he began to thrust into Jack's delicious tightness, _being on top is just as good as the other way around... _

Then he didn't think anymore for a while.

###

They lay snuggled up against each other on their blanket, Jack's head on one of the pillows and Daniel's head on Jack's shoulder. Jack was lazily stroking up and down Daniel's leg with his foot. "You okay with visiting Charlie before we go back to work? Sara's gonna be there, too."

"Sure," Daniel said. "We need to celebrate their new house. Well, not their new house, but the re-modeled old house."

"Yeah. I'd like to get a swing set for the kid."

"Jack, Baby Sara is just six months old. She doesn't need a swing set just yet," Daniel said with a chuckle. "And I don't even know if you can get one anywhere." Earth was still in the process of recovering. Basic things had gone back into production. Food, clothes,... but Daniel wasn't sure about swing sets. The internet was working again as well, but he didn't know if there was a new Amazon yet. They didn't spend much time on Earth and on their short visits they had mostly helped Charlie and Joanna with the house re-modeling. And spent some time with Sam and Cam.

"I want to build it myself. Might take a while," Jack said.

"Oh. That's nice."

"And Daniel? Thor's back on Earth next week."

"I know." Daniel shifted in Jack's arms and started to draw circles on Jack's chest with his finger.

"I don't want to be pushy and I know it's your choice. And as I said before..."

"You do love me no matter how many legs I have, yeah I know." Daniel stilled his finger and looked into Jack's eyes, which were near-black in the moonlight. "I love you too," he finally said, feeling almost a bit shy about saying it out loud. It had taken so long until he had been able to say it to his other Jack and even then it had felt a bit awkward when he'd done it for the first time. He knew Jack had felt the same. It's how they used to be. They didn't need the words, but sometimes it felt right to say them.

Like now.

Jack raised his head and their lips met for a soft and gentle kiss.

"I kind of like my J-leg," Daniel said after a while. "It got me through lots of tight spots. And it never failed me. Well, most times."

"Okay."

Daniel thought he didn't need a new leg to make his life better. He had cursed and hated his prosthesis for a long time, but in the end he wouldn't have done anything different if he'd still had his own leg. He could live with the J-leg and not feel as if he was worth any less than he'd been before. He had worked so hard to get back his independence, do his job and get over the stares of pity he received from others.

Yep, he could continue to live like this just fine.

But he didn't have to.

He had what most people didn't have – a chance to get fixed.

The question was... did he want to get fixed?

"I'm going to keep it."

"Right."

"I've been thinking about this a lot. It's part of me now. I... got used to it. It reminds me..."

"That you had another life before?"

Daniel frowned, thinking. "Yeah."

Jack wrapped both arms around him, holding him close. "You won't forget that life, Daniel. And you won't forget him. You don't need the J-leg to remember."

"Do you miss him? Your... other... Daniel?" Daniel asked, partly to change the subject and partly because he was curious.

"Sometimes."

"Yeah, me too. My other Jack. I miss him. Sometimes."

"You could hang it on the wall, you know? The J-leg."

Daniel snorted. "Like a trophy?"

"As a memento. If you think you need it, put it on the wall."

As he drifted into sleep, Daniel tried to picture his J-leg hanging at the cabin wall, over the fireplace.

Maybe...

Fin


End file.
